


Unexpected Attraction

by littleredbean



Category: GOT7, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Idols, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Secret Relationship, Sexual Content, Social Media, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:19:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 73,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19663450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleredbean/pseuds/littleredbean
Summary: They weren't meant to fall in love. They were opposites. In fact, they were meant to hate each other.Myoui Mina and Hirai Momo are two of the biggest names in the industry. But they were also each other's rivals. The media followed their feud everywhere it went.When their opposing companies decided to make them a temporary duo to promote for just one year under the name 'MiMo', the two women thought they were in for the longest year of their life.What they realised later on was much different.





	1. January: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is set in 2018 so i could make it make sense with it taking place over the course of a year okay thank you i hope you enjoy!  
> also, the tweets are obvs fake, but i'm putting a picture with every chapter to help with the narrative; :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [JANUARY: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D-xPI82WwAAWKiW?format=jpg&name=large)

The news spread like wildfire. Earlier in the morning, it was revealed that the two biggest soloists in the industry were to form a temporary duo that would promote for only a year.

It seemed like a good business move. Two top singers with very different music styles: one who focused more on sex appeal and passion, the other who focused on grace and elegance, coming together to form a partnership where they could explore each other’s style while also getting to know each other a bit more. Their voices seemed like they would match well, one’s voice being more low range, the other’s being on the opposite end of the spectrum. They could meet in the middle or, better still, practise their singing in one another’s ranges. It would be good for their careers. The opposite pairing would mean that it would be something for everyone. The fans seemed to be excited at the prospect…

There was only one issue. They hated each other.

Hirai Momo and Myoui Mina.

Two singers who came from Japan and were now based in South Korea.

The two biggest solo singers in the Korean music industry...hated each other.

And at 09:00 on Wednesday, 3rd January, they would be having a meeting at Momo’s company building to discuss and negotiate the temporary contract.

Mina was _not_ looking forward to it.

“Ugh...do they _really_ think this is a good idea?” she asked her manager as he drove her to the company building of her rival.

Her manager shrugged a shoulder as he stopped at a traffic light, “They reckon it’ll be good for your career.”

“Good for my career?” Mina scoffed, unable to believe such _bullshit._ “Good for my career…” she muttered under her breath. “They wouldn’t know what’s good for my career even if I dangled my _own_ nine-page contract in front of them.”

The man in the driver’s seat sighed as the light turned green, “What is it with you and her anyway? Don’t you think your feud is a little...pointless?” He immediately felt eyes like lasers shoot their way through the back of the seat and into his neck at the question, Mina no doubt judging him for asking such a _preposterous_ question.

“Pointless… It’s not _pointless._ She’s a goddamn threat to me! Every single time I make a comeback she just _has_ to swoop in and take over,” Mina explained, folding her arms and slightly slouching down in her seat like a toddler who had just had their toys taken away.

“Do you even know her personally?” The question made Mina stop and think.

Truthfully, she didn’t know much about Hirai Momo, apart from the same basic five facts that were plastered on every article about her since she debuted. Oh, and her birthday.

“Do I _need_ to know her personally?” asked the brunette, earning a sigh from her manager that carried a hint of annoyance. He didn’t feel like arguing his point further as he drove up to the side of the building.

“We’re here. Now, you ready?” he asked, bringing his head around the side of the driver’s seat and looking at Mina, who was brushing herself down to look perfect for the fans. The brunette nodded and the older man got out of the car. He opened the door for her and immediately, the sounds of screams filled Mina’s ears. Camera flashes were everywhere as she thanked Jiseok, her manager, while he closed the door.

Jiseok had been Mina’s manager since the very beginning, and the two had formed a strong bond, to the point where there was a lot of speculation over whether or not they were dating. It was the first big scandal Mina was ever involved in, but it was quickly cleared up once they revealed that they saw each other as siblings.

They began walking along the path that led up to the steps to the front door of the building, and a new nervousness washed over Mina. She only managed to wave to a few fans and collect a couple of letters before she felt a push and a voice telling her to _move along._

Mina hated not being able to pick up everything that a fan had brought. She loved that kind of interaction with them so anything that pushed her away from doing it made her quite sad.

Jiseok was guiding her towards the building when they both heard a male voice ask, “So is it true that you and Hirai Momo are working together?”

“Yeah, what kinda music are you gonna make together?” a female voice piped up.

“Will it be a mix of your two styles or something completely different?” the same male voice asked.

“How will the ongoing feud and subtweeting affect this collaboration? Do you think you’ll be able to work together?”

Mina desperately turned to Jiseok with a face that said, _please help me._ With a few words, her manager waved off the journalists, who each had a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. They scribbled notes that probably (definitely) made absolutely no sense as Jiseok led Mina into the building.

The door shut behind them and just like that, all of the noise became muffled behind the glass. The brunette looked back through the window and waved at the fans while paying no attention to the journalists before she was ushered into an elevator by Jiseok.

As they stepped inside, Mina quietly questioned why no one was there to greet them in the lobby. "Can you see the chaos out there? They probably want to keep that to a minimum."

Mina considered it before nodding in agreement as Jiseok stepped forward and pressed _11_ on the panel. The brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _'Here goes nothing.'_

Upstairs, on floor 11, Momo sat in the conference room with her manager, the CEO of her company, and the CEO of the opposing company. She wondered why the CEO hadn't come with Mina and her manager, but decided she didn't care. She just wanted the meeting to be over and done with, with the preferred outcome of the two of them realising that this was a horrible idea, and that it was never going to work out, and that they don't know what they're doing, and…

"Momo? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost…!" her manager, Eunbyul asked curiously, and with a touch of concern.

Moving closer to Eunbyul, she whispered in her ear, "Who thought this was a good idea?"

The blonde lady beside her did nothing but indicate the two CEOs in front of them, leaving Momo to glare at them, daggers in her eyes.

"Okay... _why_ do they think this is a good idea?" she whispered.

"They think it'll benefit your career," Eunbyul replied in a similarly hushed voice.

"Pfft…"

Momo folded her arms and leaned back in the chair. When she heard a knock at the door, she simply glanced over, not bothering to change her posture.

The two men stopped talking and the rival CEO marched over to the door. Momo's boss looked at her with an excited expression and all the woman could achieve in response was a face that pleaded with him to stop playing whatever game it was he was trying to play.

On the other side of the door, Myoui Mina was waiting, who gave the exact same face to _her_ boss upon him opening it.

"Mina! Nice to see you, come in. Oh, and hello Jiseok!" The manager tried to muster up a genuine seeming smile while Mina gave the weakest one she could manage.

 _'Hmm,'_ Momo thought, _'looks like she ain't too pleased either.'_

Mina caught the older woman's eyes for a split second before she turned away with a tut, _'Looks like she doesn't want to be here either.'_

"Ladies! It's good to see you both. In the same room too, isn't this exciting?" Momo's boss, Park Kyungho opened, earning him a dissatisfied look from the two women in question at his failure at trying to make the meeting a civil affair.

Mina's boss, Oh Minchul, tried to lighten the mood, but just made matters worse, "This is going to be fantastic, is it not?"

They delivered the same glare, before Mina began asking, "Where should I--?"

"Don't worry yourself, _love,_ I'll move," Momo cut in before standing up and moving to the other side of her manager and sitting down. Mina didn't look at the older woman once as she directed Jiseok to sit beside Eunbyul, before taking her place on his right hand side.

Kyungho and Minchul observed the scene and thought it was taken right out of a high school drama.

Michul cleared his throat before he began, “I think you both know why you’re here,” he was almost smiling ear to ear, much like Kyungho, the sight making both Momo and Mina sick.

“Yes,” they said at the same time, before glaring at one another briefly. They turned their attention back to the two CEOs as they continued.

“We want to make you a duo!” Hearing it out loud just made the two of them grimace at the thought. _Them,_ working alongside their _greatest enemy?_ They wouldn’t dream of it. “We’ve decided to call you…” The two men made a dramatic pause before they announced simultaneously, “MiMo!”

The two women thought they were going to be sick.

“Stylised capital M, lowercase I, capital M, lowercase O!” Kyungho explained, sounding all to pleased with himself. Mina raised an eyebrow at them, and Momo was about to excuse herself before she was stopped by Eunbyul with a hand on her wrist and a shake of the head.

“I’m sorry, you _can’t_ be serious. About _any_ of this! This is ridiculous!”

“Agreed,” Mina cut in.

“Well, at least that’s _something_ we agree on,” the older woman muttered under her breath.

“What did you say?” Mina asked, standing up, looking like she was about to fight Momo.

“Ladies, _please,_ calm down. Mina, please sit down,” implored Minchul, and the offended woman did a double-take between him and Momo before she sat down with narrowed eyes, cutting straight into the older woman. Momo did nothing but fold one arm across her chest and look at the nails on her other hand briefly, before turning her head and giving Mina a fake smile.

The younger woman turned back round in her seat to give the two CEOs her full attention, arms crossed over and placed firmly on the table. Momo mirrored her actions to annoy her, something Mina caught in her peripheral view but paid no attention to.

Once they were calm - or _calmer_ \- Kyungho continued, “Look, we have drafted a contract for your both to sign. You will promote for one year, it is a special joint contract between myself and Mr. Oh, meaning you will also be under the other company for a year.” Mina bit her bottom lip and Momo rolled her eyes slightly. “It will be pretty much the same as always, just a few extra conditions.”

The two women took their contracts when they were given to them, albeit reluctantly, and read through them carefully. After a few seconds, Momo questioned how much music content they would be releasing.

“That’s...something to be discussed later. It is written that music content will be released, but it is yet to be decided how much. That’s why this is a draft. I would reckon no more than three pieces of music.”

“And that could range from singles to full albums?” Mina asked, glancing up at them as Momo continued reading.

“Potentially. Just rest assured that you will release music during your time as MiMo.”

As Momo only half-listened to their words, she found one condition that didn’t sit right with her, “‘While you are a part of the temporary project group _MiMo,_ you will refer to yourself at interviews, on music shows and at award shows as _MiMo’s Momo._ ’ So...we won’t be referring to ourselves by our full names at all?” As she said it, Mina quickly turned over to the second page and found the paragraph, with help from Jiseok.

“No, that would make no sense…!” Minchul explained. “You wouldn’t be two soloists that just happen to be a duo. You will be an _actual_ duo for a whole year!”

“This is insane,” Mina spoke under her breath to Jiseok.

Momo overheard her words and said, “Tell me about it.”

Their managers regarded one another and seemed to share the same thought: _at least they truly agree on something._

“And this part here about award shows,” Mina began before placing the paper flat against the table and staring at the two men straight in the eyes, “You’re saying that we’re gonna attend an _award_ show at the end of the year.”

Kyungho and Minchul looked at one another before looking back at the two now exasperated women, “Yes…?” they said simultaneously.

“They’ll fucking rip us to shreds!” Momo nearly shouted, Eunbyul trying to calm her down and whispering that there was no need to use such language.

A debate began between the four of them over the two women, their careers, both separately and how they often overlapped, how the media treated them, how they just _loved_ to eat up every single thing that happened between them, and make everything public. How it was the media that made them decide that doing things such as subtweeting were obviously _fine_ and it didn’t matter that it was public because they were going to eat that shit up anyway. Mina tried to make them admit that the only reason they were doing it was because it would be a chance for them to get even _more_ attention and _more_ money and _more_ publicity because “there is no such thing as bad publicity.”

“Just be honest with us. You hate us, so you want to put us in a duo so we can tear each other apart by the hair but at the end of it put a smile on our faces because you two would have gotten something good out of it.”

As soon as Mina said it, she instantly regretted it. Well, _almost_ instantly. But the four of them had never seen the CEOs look so offended before in their lives.

"Do you _really_ think we would throw you two under the bus like that?" Kyungho asked, "Especially after you've spent four years under my company," he directed at Momo.

"And you, two," Minchul directed at Mina.

The two women weren't sure, but the guilt trip was enough for them to turn to page two and sign the dotted line at the bottom.

\--

Mina remained silent for most of the journey back to her dorm with her elbow rested on the car window sill, her chin on her hand. Jiseok had tried to talk to her since they began driving, but Mina only gave light hums whenever he spoke. As they reached her dorm Mina finally said, “This is gonna be a tough year.”

Jiseok sighed sympathetically as he drove around the back of the building and parked near the door where Mina usually entered to get to her tiny studio apartment type dorm. The company was quite small, with only four artists including herself and about a dozen actors. Once Jiseok came to a stop, he fell back in his chair and asked, “Do you think you did the right thing in signing the contract?”

The brunette shrugged meekly, “I don’t know, Jiseok. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting their reaction to our argument. I also wasn’t expecting Momo to be thinking along the same lines.”

Her manager turned to look around the side of the chair at Mina, his face asking her to elaborate, “Well, I guess I just thought she always enjoyed the drama. Ate it up like the media always does. Guess I was wrong,” she admitted, looking down at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs.

“Do you think you’ll become friends over this year?” Jiseok asked after a short while.

Mina instantly looked up at him. She forced out the weakest chuckle before saying, “Unlikely. There’s just too much water under the bridge. Maybe we’ll come to tolerate each other, but then again once the contract is done we’ll just return to being soloists. Back to our own companies, and perhaps before you know it we’ll be right back to square one.”

Jiseok hummed at her statement, before turning back round to sit in his chair properly. “Have a good day, Mina. Get some rest, you looked burned out and it isn’t even midday.”

“Well the energy in that conference room didn’t exactly inspire a totally positive mood,” she said with again, a very feeble chuckle. “Have a nice day too, Jiseok, thanks for everything.”

Mina opened the car door and stepped out; grabbing her bag and putting it on her shoulder, she shut the door behind her. With a final wave she walked towards the back door and entered the building.

She sighed as she climbed the stairs that led up to her dorm on the third floor. On the second floor, she heard music being played from the only apartment. The apartment that contained one of the artists there and three of Mina’s closest friends: SMC.

The trio had been in the company for less than a year and were still considered rookies, but were gaining popularity at an incredibly fast rate. Their first album did amazing in both sales and streams and they made records for the company. The group had been hyped up for around six months and people were worried that they wouldn’t meet the public’s expectations. That was quickly proven wrong with their debut performance. The trio lived a floor below Mina and she considered them her younger sisters.

As Mina began to climb up the third flight of stairs, someone opened the door.

“Oh! Hey, Minari! How did the meeting go?” spoke a young, dark-haired girl. Mina turned and saw that it was Tzuyu, one of the members of SMC, the youngest of the three.

“Hey, Tzuyu,” Mina replied, seemingly drained, “It was...interesting.”

“Did you sign the contract?” another girl shouted from inside the apartment, the voice belonging to the oldest member of the three, Dahyun.

“What? Mina would _never_ sign a contract that told her she would have to promote alongside her arch nemesis for a whole _year,”_ a third girl - Chaeyoung - said loudly from the kitchen. Tzuyu rolled her eyes at their comments before looking at Mina, anticipating the same thing as Chaeyoung.

“I did.” Tzuyu blinked a few times.

“Wait, you-- Oh my God, guys, she did!” the young girl called out to the other two, and they immediately got up and ran to the front door. Chaeyoung asked if she was crazy, and Dahyun stood and stared at Mina, unsure if she really knew the older woman and wondered if it was the same Myoui Mina who “accidentally” retweeted the news story about a wardrobe malfunction Hirai Momo had on stage at the MAMAs.

The oldest of SMC rubbed her forehead, “So...that’s it then? You and Momo, a duo for a year!” she said it like it was a news headline; knowing how the media was when it came to anything Myoui Mina and Hirai Momo related, Dahyun wouldn’t be shocked if that _was_ a headline on one of those news sites.

Mina folded her arms and nodded, which left the three girls even _more_ bewildered.

“But-But...she’s your _enemy,”_ Chaeyoung made a point of noting.

“Be optimistic, Chae, she _could_ become a friend…!” Tzuyu tried to be convincing, but it wasn’t really working. Chaeyoung scoffed, a look of disappointment appearing on her face directed straight at Mina before she turned her back and sauntered further into her apartment and headed to her room.

This left Dahyun and Tzuyu stood in the doorway staring at Mina, the latter feeling awkward, the former trying to figure out why Mina made such a decision.

All the older girl said was, “Well, I hope you’re proud of your decision,” with a shrug, but it wasn’t mocking. Instead, she sounded genuinely concerned, and as she walked away from both Tzuyu and Mina, the younger girl was left unsure of what to say.

Mina picked up on this and said quietly, “It’s cool, it’s fine. I’ll probably regret ever having made this decision but, I’ll never know if I don’t try.”

Tzuyu honestly couldn’t believe her ears but didn’t have the energy to come back at her with a comment of any kind. She simply said, “Good luck, Minari,” before going back into her apartment and shutting the door. Mina sighed.

_‘What have I done?’_

Meanwhile, Momo sat in her own dorm eating some snacks when she got a text message.

**_Nabongs~~_ **

**_just passed by mr. park, told me that you actually signed the contract for the duo thing with myoui mina_ **

**_i love you momoring, but are you mad?_ **

Momo stared at her best friend’s message before letting a drawn out sigh go. Im Nayeon. Another soloist in the company, someone who had been there since she was sixteen. Nayeon took Momo under her wing when she first began training, and taught her all she needed to know in order to get through life as an idol. She used to experience the same level of success that Momo was currently experiencing, and while she was now considered a veteran in the industry, she still had fans who were patiently waiting for her return. Nayeon had been on hiatus for the past year or so to focus on studies, and was waiting for the day she would jump back in the music scene. Now it seemed she would be reconsidering her choices.

Truthfully, Momo didn’t really know what she was doing. She leaned against her kitchen counter and stared down at her phone.

**_maybe, but something good could come from this;;_ **

Momo could just hear her iconic laugh through the phone at her message.

**_Nabongs~~_ **

**_y_** **_ou’re kidding right? momo i thought you straight up hated her_ **

**_everytime she managed to get a photoshoot that you swore you could’ve got, or an opportunity to go to a fashion show that you should’ve gone to instead, or collaborated with the artist that you thought for sure was going to pick you…_ **

Momo grew increasingly frustrated at these reminders. It sparked a new anger in the pit of her stomach that her brain was trying to fan as she thought about all of those opportunities that _she_ should’ve have received instead. Then, a smirk appeared on her face.

**_well, you know what this means then right??_ **

Ellipsis was Nayeon’s response.

 ** _i_ _t_** **_means that every new opportunity that *she* gets, *i* have to get as well, since we’ll be a duo_ **

The three dots indicated that Nayeon was replying, and it disappeared and reappeared a few times before the message popped up.

**_Nabongs~~_ **

**_evil, filled with revenge, i kinda like it_ **

**_well, they do say revenge is a dish best served cold_ **

Nayeon’s reply was a laughing emoticon, followed by an invitation for Momo to go over to her apartment so they could hang out. The dark-haired woman happily accepted, and grabbing her bag and leaving the snacks behind in the cupboard, she took her keys and left her dorm to wait for the older girl to come and get her. Nayeon always preferred that if Momo was going to come to her place, for her to collect the younger woman herself instead of bothering Eunbyul. Eunbyul used to be Nayeon’s manager before they had a falling out three years down the line. The two women were on the same page again, but they weren’t exactly friends since the falling out was public and it was messy.

Momo left through the back door once she was on the ground level of the dorm building and waited outside for around ten minutes until she saw Nayeon’s silver car pull into a parking space next to her. Through the window, she gave the younger woman a bright smile as she went round to the other side of the car and got in on the passenger’s side.

They drove back to Nayeon’s house and spent the rest of the day watching TV, talking over Momo’s contract, eating food and discussing what it was going to be like for Momo knowing she was going to be promoting with Mina for a whole year.

“I honestly don’t know, Nabongs. I said something “good” could come out of it and yeah, there’s all the opportunities that I’m likely to get. But I can’t help feeling selfish about it all. I mean, we’re soloists and everything, but while we’re ‘MiMo’, we’re not going to be on our own, if that makes sense? Like, we’ll both have another person on stage we have to watch out for and be in sync with and, we’ve gotta have good chemistry if we want to win the public over and it’s just one big confusing mess.”

Nayeon nodded several times, listening attentively to Momo’s words as she drank from her bottle of iced tea. “The way I see it is, you’ve both been put into a situation that is, quite frankly, the polar _opposite_ of ideal, and neither of you know how to deal with it because it came at such short notice after the final awards show last year and you’re now being expected to get along well in front of everyone when fans are speculating this, that and the other. Not to mention, the press will be on your back all the time.”

“Don’t even mention them.”

Nayeon zipped up her lips and mimicked the action of locking them up and throwing away the key. They continued talking some more about the music side of things, Momo revealing that they have yet to discuss how much music they’ll actually release, earning a raised eyebrow from the older woman, “Odd…”

Momo nodded as if to say, _I know, right?_

Later on in the evening Nayeon offered up her couch to Momo, but the younger woman declined on the basis of needing to go to one of the practice rooms the next day. If Momo was about to start promotions and schedules again very soon, she needed to begin training too. She thought she would be able to have a break after awards season, but this project was throwing her back in the saddle after less than three weeks.

Nayeon drove her back to her dorm, and they gave each other a hug before the dark-haired woman left and went inside to go back up to where she lived.

Along the way, she bumped into one of the actors at her company, Kim Taehyung, who apologised as they knocked shoulders. He joined the company two years before Momo did, and had been an actor from the start, only agreeing to lend his voice to the company’s annual Christmas track because he felt obligated to. They became good friends when Momo joined, and were now like brother and sister.

“Hey, I heard you were promoting with Myoui Mina.”

“Yeah, I don’t really wanna talk about it right now, Tae,” Momo responded, tired.

“No worries, but hey, if she gives you any trouble, you come and find me okay?”

Momo - younger than Taehyung by only just under a year - nudged him in the shoulder with a chuckle and said, “Night, Tae,” before passing him by and ascending the staircase up to her dorm.

“Night, Mo,” he replied before he climbed down the stairs to go to another dorm where one of his best friends, Jung Hoseok, a rapper in the company, lived.

Momo entered her dorm and once she shut the door, she pressed her back against it. She let out a big sigh before she moved further into her apartment and went to her bedroom to get ready for bed.

At that point, Mina had already been in bed for an hour.

The next couple of weeks were spent creating an official account for them, introducing themselves as ‘MiMo’ to the public, and attending their first event as a duo, all before it was even revealed to them how much music they would be releasing. With everything they did, they still regarded one another with plenty of scorn. Plenty of glares that read, _I really don't want to be here right now._ But they realised they didn’t have much of a choice.

The two of them were positive that they were going to be in for the longest year of their lives.


	2. January: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [JANUARY: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_VuhirXUAA9Vii?format=jpg&name=large)

Three mini albums. One in April. One in August. One in December.

Momo had to shake herself awake to properly hear those words.

 _I honestly thought it was going to be one full album in the middle of the year and then we’d doing a bunch of other shit throughout the year,_ she had said to the CEOs during the meeting.

She also wondered what took them so long to decide how much music they’d be releasing.

_We really wanted to take our time in deciding how much music would properly convey and justify your talents separately and as a duo._

Momo rolled her eyes. She just _had_ to be reminded.

She couldn’t help but go on Twitter a little while after their meeting. Sure enough, there was already news written about it, the first bit coming in about half an hour after the meeting ended. Momo had to shake her head at her phone screen. She contemplated how websites got their hands on information _that_ quickly.

Saturday afternoon. Momo explained to her manager that she wanted to get coffee with Taehyung; as Eunbyul made the necessary arrangements, she pulled out her phone and messaged him, a response coming through instantly.

**_Tae;;_ **

**_let them know i’ll be ready in ten_ **

Momo sighed as she told Eunbyul, who was on the phone to Taehyung’s manager.

Fifteen minutes later, they were being escorted into a relatively quiet coffee shop, faces covered and hats on their heads to stay protected. A latte for Momo, and a hot chocolate for Taehyung.

After paying and leaving, they climbed back into the van and sat beside each other, removing their masks and placing them to the side. Momo took a delicate sip of her hot beverage as Taehyung waited to ask the million dollar question, “So, how many albums?”

The young woman rested her drink on her lap as the man beside her took a sip of his own, “Three mini albums.”

Taehyung thought he was going to choke. Momo rested a hand on his back and gently rubbed, biting her bottom lip. She was certainly confused herself at the situation, but she didn’t think it would warrant _that_ reaction.

Once Taehyung had calmed down he looked to the woman he saw as his sister, “You’re really going through with this, aren’t you?”

“Do I have much choice?” Momo asked, removing her hand and taking a bigger sip of her coffee. She heard Taehyung mutter something under his breath, which she asked him to repeat.

“I said, you did when you were faced with the contract. You could’ve ripped it up there and then and said ‘fuck it’, but you didn’t.” Momo admitted she felt pushed by her boss. There was a short pause before he questioned her again. “Do you _really_ hate Mina?”

Momo’s tongue ran over her lips in thought; if she truly had to think about it, Mina’s elegant, and she’s pretty, people _love_ her music, and she can dance really well, and she has a nice singing voice, and she got job opportunities, and she was able to go to these different places…

And _that’s_ why Momo hated her. Not to mention the constant indirect arguments, and the retweeting incident she claimed was a hack but Momo _knows,_ she just _knows_ that it was truly her.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Taehyung’s left eyebrow raised briefly, completely unsurprised but a little infuriated at her answer. Momo caught onto his reaction, “It’s just...she’s only been in this industry _two years_ and she’s getting everything on a plate that I had to work hard to get two years _before_ she debuted!”

“And you don’t think she had to work hard for her dream too? Those first two years that you were a star, she was training day and night to be in the exact same position that you’re in.”

The young woman looked the other way and out of the window in anger. She couldn’t _believe_ the person she had developed a close bond with was taking Myoui Mina’s side.

Taehyung seemed to read her mind, “Don’t think I’m taking sides, I’m just stating facts. This feud between you and her will not be good for your time promoting as a duo.”

Momo snapped her head to the left to look at him, “You’re saying I shouldn’t have signed the contract?”

The older male thought about his next words, “I’ve thought about it, and honestly, part of me says you shouldn’t have, and part of me is saying…” His words trailed off. Momo encouraged him to continue. “Part of me is saying this year...might give you two a chance to work out your differences.”

They approached the back door of the dorms as Momo said, “Yeah, the chances of that ever happening is pretty low.” She removed her seatbelt and grabbed her bag; pushing the car door open, she started to get out as Taehyung stopped her. They faced one another.

“I’m not disagreeing with you, but at least _think_ about it. By the end of this year, you two could be in a completely different place.”

“Or we’ll be in the same place just back to being soloists.”

Taehyung hardened his gaze, his expression becoming serious. Momo took note of this and stared right back at him. A few seconds passed before, “At least think about it, okay? You have three mini albums. That’s three promotional periods. Three opportunities to work out where you see eye to eye and...where you don’t.” His next words shook Momo to the core. “Don’t be defeatist.”

If there was _one_ thing Momo didn’t like being called, it was _defeatist._ She took a deep breath in and bid Taehyung a quiet but stern goodbye as she stormed her way into the building, coffee still in her hand, leaving the older male to do nothing but sigh at her stubbornness, while at the same time hope that his words would stick with Momo.

They did, as the dark-haired woman ascended the stairs to her dorm and entered it, she sighed and sat down at her desk in her room.

 _A full collaborative effort from the two women,_ was what the CEOs were quoted as saying.

Momo didn’t know how much of a collaborative effort it was going to be at that point, or how much input she was going to be allowed to have, but she thought that there was no harm in jotting down some potential song lyrics. She pulled out her notepad and pen and clicked it once to start writing.

Ten minutes later she had a single line. Momo groaned and banged her head lightly against the desk. _‘How could I have prevented this mess?’_

\--

Mina sat in SMC's dorm, drinking a cup of tea. It had been an hour since the meeting, and after grabbing lunch at a local café, she decided she needed some advice from her three closest friends.

 _Well if you ask me, it's a tall order,_ Dahyun had said.

 _Yeah I mean, three albums with your arch nemesis, can't be good,_ Chaeyoung agreed.

 _It could either be the best decision moving forward, or the worst,_ Tzuyu had commented.

Tzuyu was busy showering, Chaeyoung was listening to music and drawing, and Dahyun had joined Mina on the sofa to talk about how she was going to approach the situation.

The brunette clicked her tongue as several thoughts ran around her brain, "At this point, there's no going back." Dahyun nodded along with her points. "I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and get on with it."

"For three whole promotions?"

Mina considered it a while longer. Three mini albums meant they would be rehearsing together a lot more, and they would be in the recording studio multiple times.

The words lingered at the tip of her tongue as she tried to put her feelings into words. Then a sudden question popped into her mind.

"Chae?" she called out to younger girl who was sat with her headphones on. _"Chae…!"_ she called a little louder, finally gaining Chaeyoung's attention.

"Hmm?" the younger woman said, pulling off her headphones and leaving them hanging round her neck.

"Why do you call Momo my arch nemesis?"

Chaeyoung regarded her with an almost shocked expression, "I mean... that's what she is, right?"

"Well, that's what _you_ call her. Isn't it a little much?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Is Myoui Mina suggesting that Hirai Momo is _not_ her arch nemesis?"

The brunette's eyes found the ceiling temporarily before they looked back down at Chaeyoung, "I wouldn't go as far as to say that…"

Myoui Mina could not believe that she was suggesting that Hirai Momo _wasn't_ her arch nemesis.

But in that moment, Mina took a pause as the two girls stared at her. When it came down to it, they had many petty fights, and Momo always tried to get to beat her on music shows, and she always had a fiery passion when she was on stage, and her dancing skills were off the charts, and that rap breakdown in her last comeback made everyone fall for her, and Hirai Momo was certainly not going anywhere…

Maybe not arch nemesis, but definitely still her enemy.

However, she had to agree, or Chaeyoung wouldn't let her live it down.

"You know...now that I think about it, you're right."

"Too right! I won't let you forget the time she tried to trip you up when you won against her!"

 _'Such a petty thing, but it really ruined my day,'_ Mina thought as the memory came back to her.

It was her first win.

She tried to make sense of why her CEOs thought this was _ever_ a good idea.

In an instant, she drank the rest of her tea and stood up straight, saying she needed to go home and start working on some things. If she was going to have to collaborate with this woman, she might as well just push through and get as much done as possible.

Both Dahyun and Chaeyoung stood to hug Mina, wishing her good luck and saying goodbye. At that moment, Tzuyu stepped out of the bedroom.

"You leaving?"

"Yeah," Mina exhaled, turning to the younger woman, "better get started on this."

"Well, better late than never." Before Mina could say goodbye, Tzuyu cut in, "Actually, quickly, can we talk?" Mina nodded and they both went into the bedroom.

There were three single beds and it was clearly divided based on who had what bed. As soon as one walked in, one could instantly tell which third of the room belonged to each member.

As Tzuyu shut the door, Mina asked, "Everything okay?"

The younger woman breathed out, "While I was drying my hair I was thinking about the current situation. You're gonna have to try and get along with Momo."

Like a plaster, ripped off quickly and cleanly.

Mina expected this to come from the CEOs, her manager, even people in the company she didn't know well enough who had been in the industry for many years.

Not from Tzuyu.

Before Mina could ask the obvious question, the younger woman continued, "Think about it, as soon as you two release your first album, you'll suddenly be doing a whole bunch of stuff together. If you don't at least _try_ to find common ground, it will drag both of you down."

Mina felt like she had been hit with the biggest revelation. Her mind then went back to all of the people in her company and the industry in general who had been around for many years. How many people they've worked with and how, more often than not, they probably ran into people they didn't like or maybe even straight up hated.

Despite Momo being her enemy, Mina didn't really want to see either of them fail. At that point, she didn't know whether that was because she only cared about Momo getting dragged down because she would go down with her, or if she genuinely cared about it initially happening to Momo altogether.

She also had to consider the possibility of herself being the one to potentially drag the duo down.

Tzuyu noticed her long silence and said, "I know it's a lot to think about, and you two have been thrown into this mess at a really bad time, but it's something to consider. I'm not saying pretend to be friends, that would be way too suspicious and also fake. I'm not even saying become friends just…"

"Try and get on the same page."

"Again, it's a lot to think about. But don't give up."

Mina was definitely _not_ a quitter, and anything that insinuated that she was instantly made her mad internally.

But she didn't explode at Tzuyu, and wasn't mad at her. Mina just now knew how she should _probably_ go about handling things.

_'Is there a better way to handle this?'_

\--

"Am I crazy or did Mina just message me?"

Nayeon stopped chewing on the food she was eating at the question. Momo decided to invite her round after half an hour of writing led her to two whole lines being written. She already needed a break.

"Wait, are you sure? Wait, when did you exchange numbers? Shit, so many things I'm finding out all at once."

"Our managers suggested it about a week ago. We exchanged numbers through them but obviously never messaged one another. Until today I guess…"

"What did she say? Are you gonna message her back?" Nayeon took a sip of water as Momo stared at the message.

**_Myoui Mina_ **

**_Hi, it's me, seeing as these albums are meant to be "full collaborative efforts", maybe we could meet up one day this week? Actually make this collaboration worthwhile._ **

\--

Mina wondered if it was a little too forward for her first message to her enemy.

But at the same time, she needed to break the ice somehow. Make their time as a duo, as she had put in her text message, _worthwhile._

A couple of minutes later, she received a message.

**_Hirai Momo_ **

**_I mean...yeah sure, if you think that would be good. Gotta do it at some point I guess…_ **

The brunette stared at her message, then remembered exactly what she was doing this for. _Find common ground._ They didn't have to be friends, they didn't have to really "get along" per se. They just had to tolerate each other.

Myoui Mina was _not_ a quitter.

\--

Momo almost regretted the message once she sent it.

"Who decided on a full fucking collaborative effort anyway?" she said with a scoff as put her phone down on the counter a little too harshly.

Folding her arms, she stared at her reflection in the glass of one of her cupboards in the kitchen.

"Your bosses did." Momo tutted and rolled her eyes, Nayeon moving to stand beside her.

"How did you and Eunbyul learn to be in one another's presence without feeling like you wanted to rip the other's hair out?"

Nayeon's eyes widened slightly, "Hmm, that's a question. I think we just stuck to very blunt, but not nasty or rude, responses to another. We just kept it short and sweet and we didn't interact with each other much past that. We _certainly_ didn't message one another. I think Myoui Mina's pulled a brave move."

"A _dumb_ move. Look, earlier Tae told me to not be defeatist and _to try_ and work out my differences with her, I don't think that includes texts!" Her phone buzzed and she groaned.

Nayeon placed her hands on Momo's shoulders to calm her down. "Listen, while you're not being defeatist, you're certainly not making things easy for yourself at the moment."

Momo stared at her, "What happened to the Nayeon who encouraged me to get revenge?"

"What happened to the Momo who suddenly felt selfish about everything because she realised she would be in a duo?"

The world stopped turning for a brief second.

"Working out your differences won't be easy. And you changed your mind pretty quickly about your whole revenge plan."

"But why though? I felt so sure that that was how this was gonna go down."

"Because as I said, you realised that it's two of you now. Under _one_ name. You're not Myoui Mina and Hirai Momo. You are Mina and Momo of MiMo."

The younger woman felt everything crash down at that point. What was worse was that she knew Nayeon was right.

Momo couldn't act on her vengeful thoughts. She knew that if Mina went down, she would go down too.

What was even _worse,_ was that the line between her wanting to keep her head above water for her own sake and her wanting to do it for the both of them was extremely blurry.

Nayeon took her hands away from Momo's shoulders as the dark-haired woman picked up the phone.

**_Myoui Mina_ **

**_I guess you're right. Friday sound good?_ **

Momo looked up at Nayeon briefly, then back down.

**_Friday sounds good. What time?_ **

**_Myoui Mina_ **

**_Maybe 3:30pm? Where?_ **

She considered her options. If they met at either company, that would be extra unwanted attention. If they met outside that could cause trouble. Momo went with her gut instinct.

**_Come to Im Nayeon's place._ **

Nayeon saw her name upside down on the phone screen and took a deep breath. If it was for Momo, she would do anything.

**_Myoui Mina_ **

**_Are you sure? Will I be welcome?_ **

Momo almost snorted in laughter but held it back.

**_Yes, you will be. I'll get it arranged._ **

Momo took a deep breath in before she sent a _thank you_ and _goodbye_ message to Mina and placed her phone back down on the counter.

A huge exhalation followed as Nayeon said, "I hope you know what you're doing, Momoring."

She didn't exactly at that point, but that didn't matter.

Hirai Momo was _not_ a defeatist.

\--

Their Friday meeting consisted of plenty of awkward conversation while Nayeon observed from afar. Mina wasn't a big fan of the fact that she was there, but understood that it _was_ her house after all, and she had every right to stay there.

They both decided not to tell their bosses they would be meeting. Jiseok and Eunbyul were both incredibly surprised but supported it, knowing full well that if they wanted their artists to get along, they would have to start working together.

Also because they were a duo. That was a pretty big factor too.

Momo and Mina knew that each album would have six songs in it, and were told at the meeting that they would both be writing each song for the album, and would have to request for another songwriter to help and be credited.

Momo wasn't concerned about whether or not she'd be allowed to write. She was only concerned about Mina and whether or not she would want to take over when writing the songs.

 _A full collaborative effort,_ she reminded herself. That became MiMo's key phrase.

Mina, on the other hand, was more concerned about the genre of the music it was going to be.

She had only really performed ballads or acoustic numbers, on the odd occasion performing a pop song or two, but with the genres of Momo's music, she was worried about how badly they would clash, since she knew they would clash already, no question.

"Maybe our first title track should be something softer. Ease our way in as a duo."

"No way, we gotta start out with a bang! A full on dance track!"

Nayeon rubbed her temples as she made them their fourth cup of tea. It was to be a long two hours. The eldest woman considered leaving them be, but didn't want to come back to a ransacked house and two fighting women.

As she brought the teas over, the two of them seemingly battling it out over which genre their first song should be, Nayeon suggested a compromise. A pop song with dance _and_ acoustic-like elements.

The two women stared at her like she was crazy.

"What? It's been done before many times! Hang on, I'll make you a playlist of every song I know like that and send it over for you to listen to."

About ten minutes later the playlist came through. The two of them listened through one earphone each and started to feel a little bit of hope about the project.

Nayeon folded her arms and watched as the two of them began writing down more ideas. She felt proud that she could bring some peace between them.

She couldn't believe that when she looked at Mina, she didn't see someone cold-hearted, or mean. She actually saw her equal to Momo. Two women who had the same dream and just got too wrapped up in one another's careers. She couldn't believe that three weeks prior she almost convinced Momo that getting revenge was going to be a good idea. She admitted to herself that she was in the wrong too.

Nayeon knew that Momo had done things that she wasn't proud of, and she hoped that Mina felt the same way about the things she'd done.

For the time being, Nayeon kept a watchful eye, as she witnessed two women who she could've sworn were going to bite each other's head off earlier, work calmly beside one another.

Not necessarily _together,_ but next to each other.

 _'It's something at the end of the day,'_ Nayeon thought as she stepped into her bedroom. _'I just hope it turns out to be worth it.'_

They weren't going to resolve all of their issues there and then, but it was a small moment of reprieve.

_'A small moment of reprieve...that doesn't usually last.'_

Nayeon prayed for Momo's sake that it would. And a part of her heart prayed for Mina's too.

After all, it was only the beginning.


	3. February: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [FEBRUARY: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EADPvGuWwAA-H_6?format=jpg&name=large)

Valentine’s Day. A day to celebrate love, while also spending unnecessary amounts of money on gifts that you shower your partner with because apparently the 14th of February is the only day to do that.

For MiMo, it was uploading a V-Day selca in an attempt to sell a friendship that didn’t _really_ exist.

_People speculate whether it could be a sign that they are getting along._

“You know it’s bad when the news treats a picture like it’s the end all, be all,” spoke Jaebeom, exhaling as he sat beside his fellow trio members, Yugyeom and Seulgi.

The trio were called TATTOO, named as such because their singing, dancing, music and stage presence will stick with you forever. They were one of three mixed gender groups, and were perhaps the most popular.

They were in the dance studio, finishing up their rehearsals for their upcoming concert in Japan when Momo walked through the door.

“How you doing, Momo?” Yugyeom greeted her.

“You alright, Momoring?” Seulgi quietly asked. Momo’s eyes were glued to the floor and she had a bucket hat on. The three of them heard her sigh once before the other woman in the room walked over to give her a hug.

“Fuck the media,” monotoned the younger woman as she rested her forehead on the older woman’s shoulder, her words muffled by the face mask she was wearing. When Seulgi asked her to repeat herself, Momo lifted her head and removed her mask, _“Fuck_ the media,” she pronounced loudly.

Jaebeom agreed, “Can’t argue with that,” his hands on his hips, exhaling.

“Didn’t you and Mina meet up a couple of weeks ago at Nayeon’s house?” Yugyeom inquired.

“Yep, the media got a hold of that too. They seem to _really_ be enjoying this. They eat everything we do up like they’re scraps from a trash can and they haven’t eaten in days,” she chided, crossing her arms over. Seulgi rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. 

“Well...it’s kinda a big deal. You two...really don’t like each other. Whether a publicity stunt or genuine, it’s gonna be a big thing for your fans,” Seulgi explained, eyebrows furrowed as she stared directly at her.

Momo kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes for what felt like the twentieth time that year as the woman beside her dropped her arm from her shoulder. They looked at each other and Seulgi gave her a sympathetic smile as Momo shook her head.

“What was your caption like?” Jaebeom asked curiously. “Was it genuine? Or was it so obviously fake that you could smell the insincerity from a mile away?”

Momo had to suppress a chuckle at the question. This was _really_ something that the four of them were discussing.

But she instantly bit her tongue when she thought about the fans. People were _excited_ for this duo as much as they were confused, and while she was trying behind the scenes to find common ground with her enemy, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about the image she was displaying the millions of people that followed the both of them.

From the replies she read, they could all pretty much see through it anyway. _‘They’re not blind.’_

“It was so sugar-coated that it could give you rotten teeth just by reading it,” Momo finally said before she walked over to the mirror and dumped her bag down just in front of her feet. _“Happy Valentine’s Day! Eat chocolate, smell beautiful flowers and enjoy this day with your loved one. We love you too - heart emoji - from MiMo.”_ Her tone of voice mimicked the apparent insincerity of the message as she closed her fists lightly.

The other three exchanged looks awkwardly when Momo was finished; the dark-haired woman looked at them through the mirror with downturned lips, “Makes you sick, don’t it? I mean, expressing love to the fans is one thing, and we always make sure that we do that every day. That side of things is genuine. But it’s just...the people who make those captions and upload those pictures in our place probably don’t have the faintest idea of how hard we’re trying to not tear each other’s limbs off half the time,” the young woman, dressed in black joggers and a loose white t-shirt with her hair tied back in a ponytail, crouched down to get her bottle of water out, taking a quick drink before replacing it. “And then the media immediately taking that selca and putting _that_ headline to it. It makes me feel gross. But at least the fans aren’t blind to it.”

After a few minutes the trio left the studio. Momo stood in front of the mirror and took a deep breath. _‘Remember what everyone keeps saying. Full collaborative effort. Remember who you’re doing this for. Remember, remember, remember…’_

Momo turned on her warm-up music and began stretching in front of the mirror. They would be recording their songs in just a few days, then they would start learning choreography a few days after, and the dark-haired woman wanted to make sure everything was perfect. It was a tight schedule, and it would be difficult, but they were willing to push through.

A small part of her wished she could easily rehearse with Mina.

\--

Mina sat in one of the many practice rooms in the company’s building, playing the instrumentals of the songs on their first mini album over and over again and singing her parts over them multiple times until she got it right. They only had a limited amount of time to write six songs before immediately going into the studio to compose them, which took two days in itself. The young woman was beginning to feel stressed as she picked up her travel mug filled with chamomile tea and drank from it. The last song ended and she pressed stop to prevent it from repeating for the sixth time.

As she did, her mind went back to that day when they first sat down and started working together on their song-writing.

She compared it with the selca they had just uploaded for Valentine’s Day, and had such a bad taste in her mouth that she could almost sense salt in her tea as she sipped it, making her put it back down with a _ugh._

At that moment, there were a few knocks at the door. She let them in and turned around to find two rappers in the company, Namjoon and Yoongi, enter the room and say hi to her. They helped composed the music, with help from Hoseok who was in Momo’s company, and the three said they would assist in making the music for all three albums. As soon as they walked in, they could see the dark circles under the younger woman’s eyes.

“Oh, hey guys…” she greeted lethargically.

“You seem tired,” Namjoon commented. 

“Yeah, you bet I am,” Mina replied with even _less_ energy.

“You seen Jeongyeon around anywhere?” Yoongi asked. Mina shook her head; Jeongyeon was an actress in the company, who recently finished filming a drama. “Hmm,” the older male responded, “I’ve been asked to look for her, Minchul wants to talk to her about a _new_ drama,” he spoke impassively, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Oh God, she won’t want to work on a new drama, not now, anyway. Jeongyeon just finished filming her _last_ one.”

“I tried saying that to him but he won’t listen to me. Just said that _new opportunities should_ **_always_ ** _be accepted…!”_ Yoongi tried to sound enthusiastic, but had been in the company long enough that Oh Minchul’s mantra tired him out. Mina raised her eyebrows, having heard that same saying before too. “Oh well, better keep looking.”

“I think I saw her heading back to her dorm, might wanna go look for her there,” Namjoon cut in, the older male nodding in response and pouting before bidding them both farewell with a two-finger salute and leaving.

Mina exhaled and groaned as she folded her arms and looked towards the ceiling, lips pursed in thought.

“Having a rough day?”

“The roughest of days. I know I keep saying it but _who_ thought this was a good idea? _Six_ songs in _three_ albums over the course of _twelve_ months? That’s way too much work for us two.”

“I agree. At least they think you’re capable of it.” Mina glared at him. “Yeah, I know, not really a justifiable excuse for _that_ level of work,” his eyes found the floor.

“Too fucking right,” she muttered under her breath, earning a slightly surprised look from Namjoon. It wasn’t that Mina _didn’t_ swear, but it was still a shock to hear it. She shrugged, “I just don’t know anymore. Seeing the media write that stuff just felt horrible. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Namjoon moved to sit beside Mina and wrapped an arm around her. He was one of her closest friends in the company, and they always confided in one another about different problems they were going through.

The purple-haired male knitted his eyebrows and pondered it for a while, “Seems fake, doesn’t it? The media have treated you two like shit and now that our company and her company are trying to make you two work together they just continue to eat it all up, but in a _different_ way.”

Mina thought about what Namjoon meant and shuddered. Looking at the bigger picture, it shook her to the core. They were dragged through the mud as soloists and now the same thing was happening but it was being painted in a different light.

They knew they were going to follow their every move, and were both terrified of what could happen later on down the line.

“I just don’t feel like a real person most of the time. And I guess it’s partly our fault, we have done and said some things to each other in the past, and subtweeted a few times, and that last song she wrote was definitely a diss track…”

Mina blankly stared into the distance as Namjoon stood up and turned to face her, placing his hands on her shoulders, “Listen, you may have done _some_ things that seemed newsworthy in their eyes, but come on, they’ve been writing articles about your every move! Especially since you two became a duo.” The brunette tugged at her bottom lip as she listened to Namjoon. “You left the studio to get coffee the other day when you two were practising, right? The article that followed talk about whether you only got _one_ because you didn’t like Momo to the point where you just _couldn’t_ buy her a coffee. You had to clear up afterwards that Momo _already had_ a coffee.”

“Yeah...and then the article that followed _that_ was simply _ridiculous.”_

Namjoon stood back, taking his hands off, “Exactly. Some of the bigger things, sure, maybe, they see it as newsworthy, but remember, these are _tabloids._ They take anything and everything and turn it into a story.”

Mina rested her hands either side of her and drummed her fingers along the table she was leaning against. She gently clenched her jaw, her lips drawn out in a thin line.

All of this because of a Valentine’s Day selca.

Sure, they had worked together, but it seemed mandatory. Something that they _had_ to do.

At the same time, a tiny part of Mina wished Momo was there so they could both vent their frustration out loud _without_ any cameras following them.

\--

The day finally came. They both arrived one after the other at a separate studio in another company. It was 8am.

Walking through the door, wearing their usual accessories of a hat and face mask, they were greeted by the face of a woman that they had both only met once before: Park Jihyo.

Park Jihyo, a singer who had been in the industry since she was a teenager, made records and broke them, and won many awards during her career, came to stand in front of Momo and Mina. She held out her hand and Momo took it first, shaking it lightly, followed by Mina, the three of them bowing at the same time.

“Hello, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other! I think it must have been...the 2017 MAMAs, of course! How are you both?” she asked, looking far too chipper this early in the morning.

The two women opposite Jihyo fought back their tiredness and how tense they were feeling in favour of grinning and declaring that the two of them were fine. They didn’t want to tell perhaps the most famous singer of the last eight years that they were both running on four hours of sleep.

“Well, let’s waste no more time then, let’s get you down to the studio!” Outside, cameras were flashing through the windows and fans were screaming as security tried to get them away from the door and away from the building.

Momo and Mina followed the short-haired woman down some stairs and through a corridor before they arrived at a room with a sign above the door saying _RECORDING: QUIET PLEASE_ that was at that point switched off.

Inside, Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok were already there waiting. When the three women entered, their managers close behind them, the duo instantly saw and were about to ask when Hoseok stepped forward and said, “They stayed in my dorm last night. They came round yesterday so we could set up everything here with the engineers and the producer.”

Momo and Mina nodded in unison as they placed their things on the sofa and sat down.

Jihyo, with a dimpled smile on her face, began talking, “Okay, you two know the drill, you know how it all works, have any questions don’t hesitate to ask any of the people here, they are here to help. Myself, Jiseok and Eunbyul will be going back upstairs to a conference room, especially because I need to talk to Eunbyul about something, a little idea I’ve got.” Eunbyul’s eyebrows perked up in intrigue and she briefly glanced at Momo, who shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway, this is _your_ time. You’ve only got today so please use it wisely. I’ll be happy to help if you need me but as I said, got any questions, all the people you need to ask are right here,” Jihyo indicated the team of people in front of the duo and they all smiled, waved, and bowed their heads. “I’ll leave you to it!” she said with a final nod and bright eyes before exiting the room with Eunbyul and Jiseok.

“Shall we get started then?” one male said. “I’m Kim Donghoon, I’m the producer,” he held out his hand and both Momo and Mina stood; one by one, they shook it and bowed their heads.

“I’m Choi Minseok, one of the record engineers,” the same greeting pattern followed.

“I’m Lee Jongsoo, another record engineer.”

“Park Hosung, assistant engineer. And I’m sure you know who these three gentlemen are.”

The two women signalled that they did before Minseok decided that Momo was to be the first one to sing, and that they would alternate for each song.

The dark-haired woman complied as she stepped into the recording booth and stood in front of the microphone and the stand with the lyrics on them. She stuck her tongue out in concentration and neatly pushed the pieces of A4 around on the stand, putting the headphones on afterwards. Her parts were highlighted in pink, and she took a pause to familiarise herself with the lyrics once again, taking the corner of her mouth between her teeth. Once she was confident, she looked up at the people on the other side and gave them a thumbs up. A few seconds later, the music to their title track began playing through the headphones.

_“Ugh! I’m never gonna get this line right…” Momo groaned as she hit her forehead with the sheets of paper that had the lyrics to their title track on it._

_Mina stuck her tongue out in her cheek and folded her arms, “Look, you won’t get anywhere if you don’t keep trying.” She tilted her head to the side, her eyes glazed over with a strange mix of impatience and encouragement._

_The older woman exhaled through her mouth and shut her eyes briefly. Opening them again, she hardened her gaze at the one line highlighted in pink that was giving her trouble._

_“Ready?” Mina asked, standing up straight and picking up her phone to put the song back a few seconds before the dreaded line._

_Momo eyed the brunette before she yielded, scrunching up the paper gently in slight frustration and preparing to sing her line. The line in question was in a higher register than Momo typically sang in, so she was having a hard time refining it. The music began playing._

_They shared direct eye contact as the dark-haired woman began singing, and by the time she finished, she didn’t realise that she had actually sang it perfectly for the first time._

_Mina’s eyes lit up as she cracked a genuine smile. “You did it!”_

_Momo covered her face with the paper as she tried to hide a proud grin, her cheeks heating up suddenly at the brunette’s words. On the other side of the paper, she heard a chuckle that instantly died down with a nervous cough. The praise that followed was still unfeigned but less animated, “Well done, Momo.”_

_The older woman uncovered her face and they looked at one another. Mina’s smile was much smaller and she was picking at her nails. The silence that followed made Momo conscious. Before her thoughts could run away with her, she coughed into her fist and said, “Can we run that again from the top?”_

_The brunette glanced up from her nails to stare at Momo, her eyebrows raised. Her mind was full of thoughts but she blinked a few times and said, “Y-Yeah, of course,” before turning to play the music from the beginning again. As the music started, she chastised herself for making the moment so awkward, as the older woman behind her played with the hem of her top. A thought crossed the brunette’s mind, ‘These moments of reprieve could never last.’_

_It made her sad to think about it._

Momo placed the headphones back on the stand when the song finished. She placed her hands on her hips as the people on the other side of the screen gave her a thumbs up.

“Good work, Miss Hirai,” Jongsoo complimented, the corners of his lips turned up.

The dark-haired woman gave a thumbs up of her own as she left the booth. In front of her, she saw Mina approaching. As they passed, they brushed shoulders and the younger woman whispered, “Good job at singing that line, Momo,” before entering the booth.

The words lingered in the dark-haired woman’s mind as she looked to her left to see the brunette pick up the headphones and place them on her head. Clasping her hands together, her thumbs ran over each other a few times as she moved to sit beside Hoseok.

He held up a hand and Momo high-fived him as he beamed at her.

“Good job!” he whispered, before Donghoon turned and placed a finger to his lips to shush Hoseok.

Inside the booth, Mina tapped the stand a few times as she took in a long breath through her nose. Glancing at the people through the window, they nodded their head once and Mina mirrored their actions. Looking down at the paper, she stared at her parts highlighted in green and placed a finger flat against her lips in concentration.

As soon as she let them know that she was ready, the music began playing.

_“I can’t believe you convinced me to do a rap in this song,” Mina commented._

_Momo chuckled lightly, “Well, you know, I just thought it might be a good idea considering it’s our first official song together. I mean, if I had to do some lines in a higher register - including that one that I kept fucking up - you should take part in a small rap section.” The dark-haired woman stared straight at Mina as the woman opposite perked up an eyebrow._

_“I hope you’re proud of yourself.” Momo nodded her head once with purpose before she walked over to where the phone was and told Mina to get ready. The brunette hummed._

_The rap section was approaching and Mina felt herself tense up; she had never done a rap before in any of her songs. Her ballads and acoustic numbers never really called for one._

_It wasn’t too fast, but it was quite low and followed a run-on beat. The lines alternated between herself and Momo, so the older woman almost became her safety net as the second and fourth lines were the brunette's. Mina was at least thankful that she didn’t have to start the rap section._

_But that meant she had to make her ending line iconic, and judging by Momo’s facial expression when she rounded off her line with a spark of attitude, she had done the right thing._

_They finished the song and Momo clapped as Mina ran a hand through her hair._

_“That’s what I’m talking about!” the older woman complimented. “Now, just do it like that in the recording booth and we’re on to a winner!”_

_They made eye contact before the moment disappeared right before them. The tension returned. The awkwardness resurfaced. They were trying so hard to be on the same page._

_‘Perhaps we’re just not meant to get along.’_

The song ended and Mina carefully removed her headphones and replaced them. She waited for the thumbs up from the producer, and once she saw them, Mina stepped away from the microphone and left the booth. Namjoon and Yoongi gave her a smile and a nod from afar before her eyes met Momo’s. They sat beside one another and the brunette anxiously ran her hands over her thighs.

“You did good in there. Well done on the rap,” Momo commented. Mina looked to her right and they met each other’s gaze; the dark-haired woman wore a light dimpled grin as the brunette exhaled.

The two of them knew they should talk about it.

“Hey...about that selca we took today…” Mina began.

“You don’t need to say anything,” Momo insisted, and lowered her voice to a whisper, “we both know that the media can be shit.”

Mina looked at her hands in her lap and bit the inside of her bottom lip. She wanted to be honest, she wanted to open up, and something told her that Momo wanted to do the same thing.

And she did. Momo looked at the woman beside her and wanted to explain exactly how she felt towards the situation, but knew that she couldn’t in the current environment. It wasn’t appropriate.

As a duo, they had to keep a certain level of professionalism, and talking about the media was not a good way to retain that. Momo focused her attention on what was in front of her and the two women stared off into space.

One song down, five more to go.


	4. February: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [FEBRUARY: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ECdc8vUXYAEPx8p?format=jpg&name=large)

_‘Such a petty bitch._ **_Such_ ** _a petty bitch. I can’t believe she posted that.’_

_‘I was pissed off, and annoyed. She provoked me. And she’s no better for posting a response to it.’_

Learning choreography was difficult. Especially when Momo and Mina had two completely different dance styles.

They clashed all day, and couldn’t help but argue over every little thing that happened as they practised in one of the dance studios in Park Jihyo’s company.

_No! You need to stand over there, Mina!_

_This is my position for the first verse! I stand over there for the_ **_second_ ** _verse!_

 _I thought that was your place for the bridge! You stand_ **_behind_ ** _me for the second verse!_

 _Fucking hell, no I_ **_don’t!_ ** _I kneel down in_ **_front_ ** _of you! God, do you not remember this choreography at all, Momo?_

They decided after an hour of screaming at one another that they needed a drink, something to eat, and a general break from one another. Which involved a couple of tweets about how hard it was to work with the other person.

When Momo refreshed her timeline and saw multiple people tagging her in Mina’s tweet, she groaned to herself, her eyes rolling so far to the back of her head, she would have probably seen her brain. The dark-haired woman had decided to one-up her and write something back in response, and of course, it wasn’t much longer until the news picked up on this.

The two women chose not to speak with one another as they returned to the dance studio and started stretching again. Things were silent, until Momo said, “Don’t fuck up the choreography this time.”

 _“Me_ fuck up the choreography? Look in the mirror and tell me who’s _really_ messing it up.”

Momo scoffed and rolled her eyes again before responding with, “There’s another person I can see in this mirror, Mina.”

“Maybe you should just be looking at yourself,” the younger woman responded, rolling over to lie on her stomach, leaning on her elbows and resting her chin on her palms. She batted her eyelashes at the older woman and they glared at one another. Momo shook her head and continued stretching her legs as Mina pushed herself up from the floor.

Just before they began to work on the dance again, the dark-haired woman exhaled, “Mina…” Her voice was quite low, and the name trailed off.

“What?” the brunette replied sharply.

Tugging at her bottom lip, Momo asked, “Can we just please get through this next hour without biting each other’s heads off?”

Mina turned to the older woman in near-shock. She almost couldn’t believe that the person who was just accusing her of messing up the choreography over an hour ago was now saying that they should try and not tear each other limb from limb, but deep down inside, she knew Momo was right.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she folded her arms and glanced up at Momo, “I guess we can try…”

The dark-haired woman had to settle with that. The two of them had no choice. They just had to _try._

\--

“You two need to stop,” Taehyung commented as he lifted a pair of chopsticks to his mouth and ate. Momo eyed him and huffed.

“I know we do…” She continued eating and waited for the older male’s response.

“I mean, what did I say to you about getting on the same page?”

The dark-haired woman recalled the conversation well. Stressed, she rubbed her forehead and stirred the ramen in her bowl, gradually losing her appetite.

“You said something about it being important or whatever,” she replied, feigning lack of memory as she put the chopsticks down next to the bowl and placed both elbows on the table, rubbing her face.

Taehyung raised his eyebrows briefly before shaking his head and continuing to eat. He had a few more bites before he nudged the bowl in front of Momo and said, “Come on, you need to eat.”

The dark-haired woman pushed the dinner away from her slightly in protest, “Hng, not very hungry.”

A little annoyed, the older male tilted his head to the side before pushing the bowl closer to the younger woman again, _“Momo,_ you need to eat.”

They gazed at one another again, Taehyung’s once hardened gaze now softened as he saw the dark circles, the obvious strain, the clear exasperation. “The CEOs have really got you two doing their bidding, huh?” His voice wasn’t mocking at all; instead, it showed concern, as he rested his free hand on top of Momo’s wrist.

Momo bit her tongue, “It’s just so much, _too_ much. One whole year and we’re squeezing in _so_ much work. I guess they really have got us doing their bidding.” Exhausted, she took her hands away and rested her forehead on the table to the right of the bowl. Taehyung bit the corner of his lips.

“I’m sorry for being so harsh, I just want you to do well, both by yourself _and_ as a part of MiMo. You deserve that. You both deserve that."

Momo lifted her head and looked straight at the male opposite, “I know you do. And you’re right, we need to stop with petty, stupid sub-tweeting. It’s not gonna get us anywhere…”

Huffing, the dark-haired woman finally picked her chopsticks up again and finished eating her meal, and Taehyung smiled lightly.

He understood what it was like to be in Momo’s shoes. They both knew the harsh realities of being an idol. But they also knew that some things shouldn’t be acceptable.

\--

“What made you want to become an actress?” Mina asked Jeongyeon as she sat on the kitchen counter in the older woman’s dorm. The two of them were good friends, to the point where the blonde allowed Mina to sit on her kitchen counter whenever she wanted to any time she came around. The brunette hadn’t done it in such a long time, until she decided to on this day.

Jeongyeon pondered the question, then shrugged as she continued making tea for the two of them, “I guess I just liked the idea of it better than singing and dancing all the time. Not that I _don’t_ enjoy singing and dancing…”

“You have a very nice voice,” Mina cut in suddenly, “and I’ve _seen_ your dancing skills. You’re pretty good.” The blonde looked back at Mina sceptically and the brunette lifted her eyebrows in response, “What? You _are_ good.”

Chuckling, Jeongyeon turned her back to finishing making tea, “Yeah, well...I just prefer acting over doing all of that music stuff.” She poured the milk, stirred the tea and put the milk back before folding her arms and asking, “Why? What made _you_ want to become an idol?”

“I’ve always wanted to become a singer. You know that I used to dance as a child, doing ballet and all that so it just...kind of came naturally,” Mina explained as she pushed herself off the countertop and sauntered towards where the tea was resting.

Jeongyeon appeared at her right side. Memories flooded back to her. Seeing Mina on her kitchen counter nearly made her heart break. She hadn’t seen her do it in so long, and it reminded her of what they once were.

There was immediate silence. They glance at one another. “Hey, I know we don’t talk about it anymore because, well, we promised each other not to…”

Mina held a hand up, “It’s okay, Jeongyeon. It’s in the past now. It was short, it was sweet, and it never went public. That’s the most important thing.”

“I just want you to know how much those times meant to me. You know that you’ll always have a place in my heart.”

They exchanged looks. Mina smiled and softly said, “I know. And you’ll always have a place in mine. Even if it’s...not in the same way anymore.”

The blonde bit her bottom lip as they both picked up their mugs and took a sip of tea. They would always remain good friends. They would just be forever thankful that their past romantic escapades never made it into the public eye.

\--

The next few days were filled with nothing but conspiracy theories and Mina and Momo having more petty problems with one another as they prepared for their first album as a duo.

The tension, coupled with the ongoing pressure to appear like a pair of women who get along remarkably well, made even the most mundane issues seem like the worst thing that could possibly happen.

Momo pushed the door to the bathroom open so hard that it nearly slammed into the wall and she stormed in, resting her hands on the sides of the sink and staring at herself intently in the mirror. The iced coffee stain was prominent on her top and she groaned heavily, breathing in and out so she didn’t punch a hole in the wall.

Completely astonished at the new arrival and a little terrified, Joohyun, another idol in Jihyo’s company who was also part of a duo, stood to the left of her with wide eyes. She blinked and took a step forward, “Momo, right? Hirai Momo?”

The dark-haired woman glared at her in the mirror, before her gaze softened ever so slightly, “Yeah...Bae Joohyun, right? Irene? You’re in that duo with Seungwan, Wendy?”

The older woman nodded and gave a tiny, welcoming smile, hoping that it would calm Momo down just a little bit. Thankfully, it worked.

“So...you okay?” Joohyun inquired, taking another step closer.

“I mean...does it look like it?” Momo replied, before her eyes fluttered shut and she apologised.

“It’s cool, really,” the older woman began, standing up straight, “stressed?”

The younger woman stood up and rubbed her face before putting her hands on her hips, “Yeah, _too_ stressed.”

They continued talking for a little while longer about Momo being in a duo with Mina, Joohyun giving her advice from being in a duo herself for five years. In the middle of their conversation, Seungwan walked through the door. She saw Joohyun and said, “Hey, baby!” with a bright smile on her face. The older woman beamed and Seungwan came to stand beside her; she wrapped her arms around Joohyun’s torso and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“Hey, you! We were just talking about Momo being in a duo,” Joohyun explained.

“Ah, yeah! You’re Momo, right? One half of MiMo?” Seungwan asked. Momo nodded and the short-haired woman continued, “Well, if you want some advice as I’m sure Joo has been giving some, if all else fails, do what we’ve done: start dating!”

Momo started cackling as Joohyun bit her bottom lip, then whispered into her ear, “You _do_ remember who these women are, right?” A look of realisation came over Seungwan’s face as she glanced at the floor in embarrassment.

“Oh yeah...sorry, Momo.”

The younger woman’s cackling died down as she said, “Yeah, _not_ happening. Sorry to burst your bubble, Seungwan.” She continued laughing as the two older women glanced at one another.

At that moment, another woman walked into the bathroom. It was Mina.

Once Momo realised, the scowl she had entering the bathroom immediately returned as she stood with her back to the brunette, one hand on the counter, another hand on her hip.

“What do you want?” she deadpanned.

Mina crossed her arms and pressed her back against the door to keep it open, “Are you gonna stop and come back to the practice room?”

Momo rolled her eyes, “Maybe, once _you_ stop being annoying?”

“I haven’t even _done_ anything! I didn’t cause that iced coffee stain, you know…”

The dark-haired woman spun round and glared at Mina before exiting the room, leaving the brunette to shake her head at Joohyun and Seungwan before leaving the door to shut.

She followed Momo and let her arms drop. “Will you just _stop_ for one second?” Momo kept walking faster, but Mina stepped forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face her. “Stop for a second!” The dark-haired woman huffed and crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows at the woman opposite. “Listen, we both know why we signed the contract. If we don’t start getting our shit together and practising _properly,_ we’ll never see the end of it from the managers _or_ our bosses!”

“Ooh, the little ballerina’s got a bark now? Such a shame she has no _bite.”_

“Don’t be so pathetic, Momo, you know that won’t get us anywhere. Also, that just means you accept the fact that I didn’t pour iced coffee all over you intentionally, so you can delete that tweet I just _know_ you’re keeping in your drafts!”

“Oh, piss off, Mina! It’s not like I wanted to work with you anyway!”

“Well the feeling’s mutual then, isn’t it?”

 _“Hey!”_ a sudden voice shouted from out of nowhere. Momo looked to her left and Mina to her right to see Jihyo walk towards them. “What the _hell_ is going on here? This isn’t a fucking playground! You’re meant to be _practising!_ Grow up you two, stop acting like little girls, get back in that damn studio and rehearse!” The short-haired woman shook her head and walked past them, leaving the two of them stunned.

After a few seconds they eyed one another. “Let’s just get back to the practice room, fuck’s sake…” Mina said as she began walking away. Momo turned to go back to the bathroom as Joohyun and Seungwan left, making the brunette ask, “where are you going?”

“Uh, to wash off this iced coffee stain?”

“Yeah, well hurry up, _please.”_ Mina didn’t understand why she was acting like this all of a sudden; when she saw Momo’s glare, she wanted to apologise.

As Momo stood in front of the bathroom mirror, she felt tears prick in the corners of her eyes. Jihyo’s words had hit like a ton of bricks, and as she wiped her eyes, she let her little lecture play in her mind a few times.

_Grow up you two! Stop acting like little girls!_

Mina had the same thought in her mind, and she rested her head against the wall as she also pondered what Jihyo had said.

_This isn’t a fucking playground!_

They both knew she was right.

\--

Less than two months until their debut. Mina still had to shake her head every time she woke up in the morning to remind herself that it wasn’t a dream.

She grabbed her phone and noticed multiple notifications, mostly from her fans, and a few text messages from friends.

**_namjoon_ **

**_wanna grab coffee at 11? i need to get away from this studio for a little bit_ **

Mina chuckled lightly at the message and sighed. She looked at the time: 10:23.

**_i’d be happy to, where do you want to meet? same coffee shop as usual?_ **

**_namjoon_ **

**_sounds good, see you there_ **

The brunette responded with a peace sign - her usual sign off - before putting her phone down and getting out of bed. She had her shower, got dressed in comfortable clothing, and put a little bit of make-up on before grabbing her face mask and hat and telling Jiseok where she wanted to go. Once she arrived at the coffee shop, she saw Namjoon in the same place they would always sit when going there: a corner where no one would disturb them.

She noticed that there was already a latte sitting in front of the empty seat, and the older male pulled his face mask down and smiled at Mina as she sat down.

“Hey,” she greeted him with a similar smile, “how are you?”

“Tired,” he let out a weak laugh, “I’ve been in that place for two and a half hours.”

“You’re always in that studio. I’m actually glad you messaged me this morning because you wanted a break, I was about to do it myself one of these days.”

“Well, I also kind of wanted to give you a break from all the MiMo stuff. I know how much stress it’s putting you under.”

Mina’s gaze softened as she looked down at her latte. She lifted the mug and took a tiny sip before resting it back down on the table. Letting out a cough, she ran a hand through her hair.

“I hoped to take your mind off it with...a question.”

The brunette glanced up at him, one eyebrow perked. “What’s up?”

He chuckled, “This is gonna sound so dumb, but...how do you tell someone you like them?”

Curiously, Mina hummed at the out-of-nowhere question before asking, “Where has this come from?”

“I have feelings for someone but… Never mind, forget I said anything, it’s dumb anyway.” The brunette shook her head immediately and encouraged the purple-haired male to continue. Namjoon eyed her before saying, “I like someone. A _lot,_ but, there’s one...well, it’s not an _issue_ but...it kind of is?”

Mina blinked, “Okay, now you’re confusing me.”

“I like Hoseok.”

Another blink. “Jung Hoseok? From Momo’s company?”

Namjoon nodded a few times, “Told you it wasn’t an issue but also kind of was an issue…” He stared off into the distance blankly, “If that makes _any_ sense.”

The brunette chuckled, “It makes perfect sense. You know each other, and you seem to get on well, but he’s from a different company so it might make things awkward.”

“Exactly, and I mean, we’re actually friends, but I don’t know if he feels the same way.”

“Maybe the best way to find out is to ask him?”

Namjoon lifted his coffee cup to his lips and pondered it for a little while longer before sighing. “Maybe you’re right.”

Mina knew she signed up for quite a few things when becoming an idol. And though she didn’t mind, helping a fellow idol with their love life was not one of them.

\--

“How would you tell someone you had feelings for them?”

Momo glanced to her right at Hoseok who was once playing a game on his phone, but stopped to look up and openly ask the question.

“Um, I don’t know, just be honest and upfront with them?” the dark-haired woman replied, snacking on a protein bar.

Hoseok groaned and said, “But that’s so _hard!_ Especially when you’ve been crushing on them for quite a while…” A smirk played on Momo’s lips.

“So, who are you crushing on?” She sauntered up to the older male and he looked down at his feet shyly.

“You’ll laugh if I tell you. Not because it’s funny, well, it _is_ kind of funny. It’s not the fact that it’s that person that makes it funny, it’s just--”

“Just tell me, Hobi.”

Biting his bottom lip, the nervous male shuffled his feet across the floor before looking up at the dark-haired woman and whispering, “Namjoon.”

“N-Namjoon? Kim Namjoon? Mina’s company, Namjoon? Rapper Namjoon?”

“Yes to all of those!” Hoseok responded, rolling his eyes.

Momo hummed and put her hands on her hips, “Well, I’m not gonna laugh, but I’m certainly...surprised a little.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

The younger woman shrugged her shoulders, stating she didn’t know why she was surprised, “I guess it’s just the different company thing, I don’t know, don’t ask me. It’s got nothing to do with the fact it’s Namjoon, just to let you know. I think he’s a great person.”

“Isn’t he just…” Hoseok replied, letting his words trailed off into what Momo could only describe in her head as a romantic fashion.

The younger woman finished her protein bar and binned the wrapping before sitting down on the sofa. “So,” she began, “how long have you had feelings for him then?”

“Nearly a year,” he responded, taking a seat beside her.

“And have you been friends for a while?” Hoseok nodded in response. “Then yeah, do what I said earlier. Just be honest and upfront. I mean, what else can you do at that point?”

The brown-haired male contemplated it for a bit longer, before he pulled out his phone and messaged Namjoon that he wanted to meet him soon. A reply came back almost immediately, and they decided on the date and location before Hoseok put his phone down and took a deep breath in and out.

“Got yourself a date?” Momo teased, Hoseok nudging her in response playfully.

“No...but I want to talk to him. Just like you said, honest and upfront. Thanks, Momo.”

“Any time, Hobi, any time.”

\--

February became March. They would be releasing the first teasers. They would be having several photoshoots. The run up to the release of their first mini album was going to be even more hectic.

Mina and Momo were terrified. A small part of both Mina and Momo didn’t want it to happen.

But MiMo couldn’t wait.


	5. March: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [MARCH: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EF4oa37WoAQ50rd?format=jpg&name=large)

_"Mina, get up. You have that interview with MLB today."_

The tired woman groaned. Mina rubbed her forehead as Jiseok explained to her her schedule for the day, although she was only half-listening.

_"Mina? Did you get all of that?"_

"Hng."

She couldn't see, but the brunette could tell that her manager was rolling his eyes.

 _"Listen, I'll be round in twenty minutes. Be ready, please."_ It was the last thing he said before Mina heard a beep.

Grunting, Mina quickly checked the time - 09:28 - before placing her phone on the bedside table and turning to lay on her left side.

"Just...five more minutes... _please…"_ she tiredly said to herself, letting out a low whine.

Three minutes passed before her first alarm went off.

"Gah, shit."

She moved around again and turned off her alarm before huffing.

_'Better get up, I guess.'_

At her own leisure, she climbed out of bed, putting her phone back down and stretching. She went into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth before stepping into the shower for a short time. Within ten minutes, she had dried herself and was dressed.

Mina saw her phone buzz as she was drying her hair.

**_manager jiseok_ **

**_be round in ten mins_ **

She pouted and continued drying her hair until it was completely done. There was a knock at the door as she finished getting ready. Moving towards the door, she opened it and allowed Jiseok to enter.

"You ready?" he asked, shutting the door.

"Nearly. Give me two minutes."

Jiseok checked his watch. "We need to be at the studio for 10:15 for hair and make-up. Also wardrobe. The interview is at 11am." Mina glanced at him. "What? I'm repeating myself because I can guarantee you didn't hear most of what I said over the phone." The man tutted and stood with his hands behind his back.

Mina grabbed her bag, hat and mask and headed for the door. She slipped her shoes on and opened the door, letting Jiseok leave first before exiting herself and shutting it behind her, locking it.

The trip to the studio wasn't too long but Mina remained relatively quiet.

_Their first proper interview._

The brunette was, in many ways, unprepared for it. They had spoken to many people over the last couple of months about the two of them being a duo, but this was their _first_ interview. Mina and Momo of MiMo would be sitting on chairs beside each other talking about how fun it was to work alongside someone they hate.

Mina rolled her eyes at the thought as she rested her elbow on the window sill.

She thought sarcastically, _'Today's gonna be great.'_

\--

Momo glanced down at her page of notes. Her pre-written answers.

For some reason, she couldn't believe there was ever a time when she wanted to do this.

"Eunbyul…" she began, the woman in question glancing over, "I don't think I should do this."

Her manager rests a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, Momo, the interview isn't going to be that long and you have your pre-written answers!"

The reassurance didn't work.

"I'm talking about the pre-written answers. I don't think I should use them."

The dark-haired woman gazed at Eunbyul. Puzzled, Eunbyul blinked.

"But...you _asked_ me to get the questions for you so you could be more prepared!"

Momo placed the piece of paper in the older woman's lap and exhaled. She could guarantee that Mina wouldn't do anything like that. Glancing out of the window, she began twiddling her thumbs and picking at her nails as her hands sat in her lap.

"You just wanna go off script then?" Eunbyul asked.

Without looking back at her, Momo nodded. The older woman sighed. The singer shut her eyes.

_'Just act natural.'_

\--

Mina arrived at the studio before Momo. As soon as they were both in the same room, they gazed at one another. Both of them didn't know how they should greet one another.

Say hi? Wave? Just smile at one another?

The two women decided to go with the safest choice: nod once at one another.

After being told the plan for the interview and photoshoot, the two of them were directed to the dressing rooms. Mina walked into hers, as did Momo.

They were relatively small, their one outfit hanging up on a rack, a make-up table against the far wall. Each woman's make-up artist and hair stylist were sat on the chair, waiting for them and greeted each of them with a smile when they walked into their dressing rooms.

They both had their make-up done and talked with their artists about anything and everything. The look was simple and fresh, and once they had their hair done they put on their outfits. Similar, but with a different colour scheme: Mina in white, Momo in red.

Simultaneously they left their dressing rooms. Their eyes found each other, and immediately Momo seemed shocked to see Mina in such an outfit. The brunette looked a little flustered and walked away, and the dark-haired woman couldn't help but gaze at her as she did so. Before she could let a pink form on her cheeks, Momo shook her head and eyed the floor.

The pink still formed.

Mina gulped as she sauntered towards the main photoshoot area, the image of Momo's wide eyes burned into her brain. She coughed and adjusted herself.

_'She clearly thinks I can't pull off an outfit like this.'_

The brunette made her way onto the set of the photoshoot, Momo following soon after. She folded her arms and gazed at the younger woman as she was directed through her poses.

Mina began by standing on a block and sitting on another block that was on top. She rested one elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand.

Every so often, they would glance at one another.

And every time Mina caught Momo's eyes, the older woman had to pretend that it didn't have the _tiniest_ effect on her.

Because it didn't. It absolutely didn't. It's absolutely because Momo had never seen Mina take part in a photoshoot like this and it was just shock from it all.

Truthfully, the brunette was doing something that was way outside of her comfort zone. She thought she would feel threatened by Momo's presence, someone who had done it many times in the past.

But she found she was catching a glimpse of the dark-haired woman every so often to make sure she was still standing there.

Mina needed the _tiniest_ bit of support.

Always the tiniest of things with the both of them.

They knew it in the back of their minds and in the pit of their stomachs, but they didn't, couldn't, _wouldn't_ admit it to themselves.

After a few camera flashes, it was Momo's turn.

Almost hesitantly, the older woman stepped forward and passed Mina as they both took a deep breath.

"Good luck," Mina whispered, surprising Momo. She looked to her right at Mina who offered up a small smile, and it was the most unexpected thing in the world.

Momo smiled back.

She walked up to the blocks and sat on them in the same way while Mina stood to the side.

Before the brunette could let her thoughts run their race, she shook her head slightly and focused on Momo.

_'Focus on Momo...what a strange thing for me to think.'_

\--

Once their photoshoot ended and they both made their way to the part of the studio where their interview would be taking place. They sat down on their designated seats and breathed in and out, looking at one another every so often.

They were often reminded, but at this point it hit them like a ton of bricks: they were a _duo._

Regardless of what was to happen, they were to remain a duo for the rest of the year.

It was only March, yet they were learning the difficult yet valuable lesson that trying to remain on the same page would be the best thing for both of them. Before the interview began, they gazed at each other once more.

Their eyes seem to say the same thing.

_"Let's make things different."_

\--

"Well...it was...an interview," Seokjin, an actor within Momo's company commented as Taehyung laid on his thighs.

The three of them were in the couple's dorm talking about the interview, and the first thing the eldest of the three had to say on the matter was how taken aback he was at how calm things seemed to be between Momo and Mina.

"Listen, I've seen how you've acted towards her in the past, what changed?" Seokjin asked.

"I'm not quite sure, Jin. I just know that when we looked at one another, we just simply _knew_ that we had to _really_ try to make things better. For good."

Seokjin raised his eyebrows briefly as he ran a hand through Taehyung's hair.

"Is it for a bigger reason than just MiMo?" the younger male asked. Momo gazed at him with narrow eyes and a slightly hardened expression.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...is there...any…"

"Oh _God,_ no, no, no. Not at all." Momo sounded all too serious yet not unconvincing or sarcastic at all.

Seokjin and Taehyung glanced at each other while Momo was busy picking at her nails, the older of the two lifting an eyebrow in _slight_ disbelief. Taehyung let out an involuntary chuckle and Momo looked up.

The two of them locked eyes as Taehyung hid his lips.

"I don't know why you think anything would be going on. You said it yourself Jin…"

"Yeah, but do you _truly_ hate her?"

Momo's eyes fluttered shut; a question she was always asked. A question she _hated_ to answer. Why did she hate answering it? Momo couldn't really work it out.

\--

“I’m just shocked at how brutally honest the two of you were,” Chaeyoung stated as she put her bottle of water back in the fridge.

 _“Brutally_ honest? I don’t quite know if were that,” Mina replied.

Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow as Dahyun, who was sat atop the kitchen counter, legs swinging back and forth, said, “Don’t be modest, Minari, you two were _very_ honest with yourselves, each other and the interviewer.”

“It was admirable,” Tzuyu added.

Mina folded her arms and leaned her back against the kitchen counter; she took a deep breath in, “What choice did we have?”

“Oh, you had _many_ choices,” Dahyun began, “you had every choice in the world. And you know that.”

“Yet you chose to be completely, 100%, totally, absolutely, positively--”

“Okay Chae, I get the point.”

The oldest member jumped down from the counter and walked up to Mina, “All we’re saying is, you picked the most mature option.”

Mina gazed at the three of them, a little taken aback that they appeared shocked at her level of maturity. “What, so you thought I was going to pull her chair out from under her ass and fight her?”

Tzuyu shrugged a shoulder, “I won’t lie to you, your constant back and forth over the past couple of years may have led some people to believe that you would do something like that. I mean, have you seen the response to your interview?”

Mina shook her head. She hadn’t, although hearing Tzuyu’s comment gave her many thoughts over the types of things her and Momo’s fans would have said. The youngest pulled out her phone and went onto to her Twitter. She typed in ‘MiMo’ and thousands of tweets popped up. She showed them to Mina.

Mina took the phone and scrolled through.

_they both really seem to know what they’re getting themselves into. their rivalry may have caused problems in the beginning, but it looks like they might be getting along???_

“Wow, they’re hopeful.”

_oh my god mina actually said that it’s sometimes hard for them to talk to one another and they often clash and argue but they’re trying to push through oh my god oh my god_

_‘Oh my God indeed.’_

_did momo REALLY say that their first song is like a mix of their different styles??? SPOILERS_

Mina had to chuckle at that one. She gave the phone back to Tzuyu. She saw all that she needed to see.

“They seem excited about all of it.”

“Excited? Definitely an understatement,” replied Tzuyu.

“They’re basically counting down to when you first reveal your teasers,” explained Dahyun.

Mina raised an eyebrow, “We haven’t given them any dates yet.”

“They have their theories though.”

Rolling her eyes, Mina walked into the lounge and sat down on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. She felt her phone buzz.

Pulling it out, she saw she had a text message from someone she hadn’t heard from in a while.

**_Sana_ **

**_Hey Mina! Long time no see! I’m so sorry it’s been a while since we last saw each other, but I’m free on the 30th! I checked with your managers, I saw you had nothing planned that day - let’s meet up!_ **

Mina stared at the message. Her facial expression was blank. Then she smiled.

She missed Sana.

A few buildings away, Momo received the same message, beginning _Hey Momo!_

Minatozaki Sana. A model.

The only person that connected the two rivals through their years of competing with one another.

The only person that could prove a mutual connection between them before it even began.

They both couldn’t wait to see her again. And Sana couldn’t wait to see them.

If only to be the one person who could _truly_ knock some sense into them.


	6. March: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [MARCH: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHWtks4WoAEHm35?format=jpg&name=small)

Across from Sana, her two old friends awkwardly sat beside one another sipping on coffees and coughing every few seconds to fill the silence.

Momo, her old love.

Mina, once her closest friend.

Both had slowly drifted from her, and now there was a chance to reconcile.

“I see you’re both getting along well,” said Sana, taking a bite out of her croissant.

Momo and Mina stared at her, then broke out into nervous laughter.

“Ha...yeah, I guess you could say we’re...getting along,” said Momo.

“Absolutely, like a goddamn house on fire!” Mina added. Sana raised an eyebrow, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

“You’re both like open books. Glass walls. I can see right through you!”

“Oh can you now?” Momo muttered, taking a small sip of her latte, to which Sana shot her a look.

“Yeah, pretty much. Remember, we _did_ date once.”

“Don’t remind me.” The two of them glared at one another.

Mina cut in, “So, why did you want to meet up with us?”

“Because, even though I’ve been abroad to many places and I’ve been extremely busy with my job, that _doesn’t_ mean I’m not all caught up to what’s going on here.” Sana wiggled her finger in front of Momo and Mina, indicating the two of them. The two women exchanged looks. “And to be quite frank, I don’t really like what I see so far.” Sitting back in her chair, one leg crossed over the other, Sana lifted an eyebrow again, waiting for the two opposite to explain themselves.

“Well, it’s been kinda hard,” Momo replied, bringing her voice down low. “As you know we’re not the best of friends.”

“No, you’re not are you?” Sana’s tone sounded sarcastic but Mina and Momo knew she was being all too genuine. “You know what your problem is?” Sana picked up her croissant and continued picking bits off and eating it.

“What?” Mina asked.

“You’re not genuine enough. You parade around as this idealised image of a duo, but you don’t do anything to really sell the fact that you’re a _true_ duo. I mean come on, your MLB interview is the closest thing we’ll get so far to you two being honest and open with not just your fans and the general public, but each other.” Mina and Momo both folded their arms, like two teenagers who had been sent to the principal’s office. “You’re meant to be a _team_ now. Act like one.”

“We’re trying!” Mina retorted.

“Well not hard enough in my eyes!”

An awkward silence immediately fell over all three of them as Sana finished her croissant then went back to sipping her coffee. Mina and Momo looked at one another, and despite how out of tune they’ve both been, seemed to have a whole conversation through their eyes.

“You’re silent but it still feels like you’re chatting shit,” Sana declared, making the two women opposite look at her.

“We ain’t chatting shit,” Momo muttered.

Eventually, Sana exhaled. “Look, I didn’t want our meeting to go like this. I wanted to see you again to actually tell you what a good job you’ve been doing so far on the album.”

“Yet you decided to come straight out the gate with comments regarding us as a duo,” said Mina. It was a statement rather than a question.

“I just don’t want to see you fail, believe it or not. Say what you want, I don’t really care, but if you want to make people believe that you’re a good working duo, then you need to start pulling a couple fingers out your ass.”

“Are you suggesting we just fake it all?” Momo questioned, shrugging a shoulder.

“I don’t recall those words ever leaving my mouth.”

Mina couldn’t help but smile to herself a little. She really did miss Sana quite a bit. Forward thinking, straight talking (though far from _being_ straight), and no bullshit.

“Now you’re just saying what everyone else has told us though!” Momo responded.

“And why do you think that is? Maybe you need to actually start...doing it?”

Momo sat back in her chair and looked over at Mina, who returned the look and shrugged.

“Maybe all of these people have a point, Momo,” she said. Momo scoffed.

“You’re just being stubborn is all,” said Sana. Momo tried to protest but after a few seconds she fell quiet and sat back in her chair. “Take our advice, please. For your sake.”

Another conversation between Mina and Momo with their eyes was had. Sana watched them with a small glint in her eye and smirk on her face.

“You wanna know what I think?” They looked at Sana. “I think, you two don’t truly hate one another.” They both tried to fight back this time but Sana stopped them. “Come on, is there anything you _really_ hate about another? Or is it just...jealousy taking over?”

“Pfft!” Mina began. “Jealousy? What have I got to be jealous of her?”

“Ha! You _wish_ you could have sex appeal out the ass like _this!”_

“Don’t need sex appeal to be successful. Besides, wouldn’t really want the sex appeal _anyway.”_

Sana had to laugh. She laughed until she cried. And Momo and Mina were suddenly caught in the middle of another petty argument and staring at Sana.

“Listen to you two! You’re like two high school girls. You’re gonna be pulling each other’s hair and screaming _bitch_ at each other next!” She continued laughing.

Momo and Mina sat up straight. Definitely like two teenagers in the principal’s office.

Once Sana had stopped crying, she said, “Look. I get it. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Anything to climb to the top. And in the position you’re in, it’s tough fighting for the spotlight. But you’ve gotta step back and think about this for a second. There had to have come a time in both you’re lives where you thought, _huh, I’m just doing this because it’s fun to do! It’s great to have people pick a side in our feud! Now people follow us for what we’ll do to each other next and that’s great! Will it be another subtweet? Will it be another retweeting incident! Ooh! Fighting’s fun!”_

In that moment, the duo felt humiliated.

“You’re in your mid-20s, both idols with a common passion: singing and dancing. You’ve become more famous for your fights than your music…” Sana exhaled. She sounded exhausted having this conversation with them. “Don’t you think it’s time to take a step back and think about each other?”

The two women glanced at one another at the same time and held their gaze.

“You don’t hate each other, do you?”

It was an easy question to ask. But a tough question to answer.

\--

It was a surprise to both of them that they ended up spending the rest of the day in the dance studio together.

Several thoughts crossed their minds, the main one being that Sana was right. They didn’t need to do this. They didn’t need to act like this. Perhaps they had grown selfish. Thinking about the headlines despite hating what the media did every single day.

The two of them sat beside one another, not knowing what to say. Conversation starters were practically non-existent between them, as most of them started with some form of insult.

“Sana’s right,” Mina began.

“Sana’s _definitely_ right,” replied Momo. She let out a faint chuckle. “God, who knew my fucking _ex_ would be right?”

“Well, everyone _has_ been saying it.”

Momo lifted her eyebrows briefly in agreement. “Shall we start practising again?”

Mina nodded and stood up. Turning around, she held out her hand and Momo took it, seemingly without hesitation. It sent an unexpected jolt through Mina, one that made her think, _‘Wow, are we finally starting to see eye to eye?’_

As if in response, Momo said, “Maybe we can finally start to work together a bit better.”

They let go of one another’s hand and walked into the middle of the room to start stretching. They decided to go through the choreography to their title track and b-side a few times before they collapsed on the floor, tired and breathing heavily. Momo lied on her back while Mina sat with her legs crossed. They gazed at one another with a knowing look. Mina bit the inside of her lip, tugging on it until she nearly felt blood. Momo pushed a few strands of hair out of her face and gradually stood up.

Another look. A small pause. Mina stood and walked over to her bag to grab her drink, Momo doing the same. Every so often, they caught one another’s eyes. Eyes that seemed to hold sadness, regret, guilt, and hope all at once. They both knew deep down that they could no longer go on like this. Putting their drinks back in their bags, they came to stand in the middle of the room, an arm’s distance away from another. A few seconds. A few deep breaths. Something seemed to change. The atmosphere seemed to change. Whatever the mood was before, it wasn’t there now. They nodded at each other once.

They both knew that they had to make a truce with one another.

Stood across from one another, they held out their hands and shook them, while not breaking eye contact.

They were going to dedicate no more time to picking fights. No more time to subtweeting. No more time to this. No more time to that.

It would all be a waste. Every second they would spend doing that, the thing that their duo was meant to represent would feel like it was going down the drain.

And they _couldn’t_ jeopardise that anymore.

Maybe, they truly didn’t hate each other.

Momo couldn’t help it but her blushing cheeks seeing Mina walk out the dressing room on the day of their MLB shoot were simply not of jealousy.

She had to shake her head of the thoughts she had that day.

_‘I’m supposed to hate you. I’m supposed to hate you. Myoui Mina, I’m supposed to hate you.’_

Then what was this feeling she got whenever she saw Mina dance?

The elegance about her. The way her body moved. Her fluid dancing from one place to another. It kept striking chords with Momo that she wasn’t expecting. She _couldn’t_ have happen.

_‘This entire thing between us is real. We’re not just doing it for the attention.’_

Then what was going through her mind when she heard Mina do her rap?

The perfect way she executed it. The small semblance of attitude that would be just enough to knock everyone off their feet, and in some ways, knocked Momo off her feet too.

Something was within Mina’s eyes. Momo just couldn’t work it out.

Something was within Momo’s eyes too.

Mina found herself in a tricky situation.

She didn’t want the sex appeal herself. That’s because she had tried fighting yet eventually accepted that Momo’s sex appeal was off the charts. The thing that made Mina the most giddy. She couldn’t admit it to herself, but she had to.

Why was it so hard to admit it?

Why had the thought of the time they were both in the practice room constantly crossed her mind?

_‘It can’t be because of anything deeper than pride that she had finally accomplished it.’_

Why had Mina not been able to stop watching Momo’s lips move the entire time she sang?

She knew the retweeting thing was an accident. That’s why she immediately took it back afterwards. But of course it was too late. She cried that night, wanting to apologise to Momo straight away.

Mina thought Momo wouldn’t have understood.

At the time, Momo _wouldn’t_ have.

But now, certainly now more than ever, Momo would have.

Because despite how many times they had clashed in the past, they had more mutual feelings on different topics than they had first realised.

One thing that neither had realised however, was that they had mutual feelings.

Or at least, they were _beginning_ to have mutual feelings.

Mutual feelings for one another.


	7. April: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [APRIL: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EIpynUKWsAAHgd2?format=jpg&name=large)

“Your first album! How exciting’s that?” Dahyun asked, bouncing up and down behind the kitchen counter opposite Mina.

Mina hid her lips briefly before saying, “It’s...crazy. I can’t believe it, it’s all happening so fast.”

“But it’s exciting, right?” Dahyun asked. Mina nodded quickly as Chaeyoung appeared to her right.

“It’s truly unbelievable.” Chaeyoung’s tone of voice told Mina that she was still unsure of everything, and still somewhat disapproved of Mina being in a duo with Momo.

Mina bit the corner of her lips. She eyed the kitchen counter in front of her, her mind racing with thoughts. Partly about the debut. Partly about the upcoming preparation for it.

Partly about Momo herself.

For the past few days she had laid awake at night thinking about the revelation that had swept across her brain in the dance studio. Standing opposite to Momo, she finally realised what she was too scared to accept as the truth.

_She had feelings for Momo._

At least, she _thought_ they were feelings. Something definitely bubbled up within her stomach whenever she saw Momo dance. Something definitely set off a firework in her heart whenever Momo looked at her. It was definitely not the feeling of, _she’s the most loathsome woman on the planet and I hate her._

It was, _perhaps I don’t hate her at all. Perhaps I never hated her._

But could she tell the people around her about it? Never. They would either disbelieve her, mock her or tell her being in a duo was getting to her head.

Especially when so many people online thought they looked _so hot_ beside each other.

Shaking her head of her multiple thoughts, she was brought back to reality by the sound of her phone buzzing. Taking it out, she saw she had a message from Namjoon.

**_namjoon_ **

**_meet me at practice room 6 in about 5 mins_ **

Mina stared at the message, tilting her head to the side slightly. Dahyun noticed.

“What’s up?” she asked while eating a sandwich. Mina looked up.

“Oh, it’s just Namjoon. He wants me to meet him in one of the practice rooms in five.”

“Well you better go now then,” Dahyun replied, looking down at her watch.

“Yeah, don’t keep Joon waiting,” Chaeyoung added, sauntering into the living room where Tzuyu was sitting, reading a book, keeping to herself.

Mina nodded, then grabbed her bag and bid the three of them farewell before letting herself out.

She made her way down to the practice rooms and found practice room six. Sure enough, Namjoon was already sat inside waiting.

She knocked on the door and Namjoon let her come in. “What’s up, Joon?”

“Message from the boss I need to deliver.”

Mina sighed and shut the door.

_‘What now?’_

—

“Not too long now, Momoring,” Taehyung said, nudging Momo as they walked down the corridor of their company building beside each other.

Momo exhaled, “I know, it’s come so quickly. I can’t believe in less than two weeks we’ll be releasing our music video, and then performing on stage with one another.” She shook her head as the realisation washed over her, even though it already had done many times beforehand.

Taehyung let out a slight chuckle as he inquired, “How did your meetup with Sana go, by the way?”

“Oh, you heard about that?” Momo replied, turning to Taehyung slightly as they walked.

“Yeah, Eunbyul told me.”

Momo hummed and nodded at the information before answering, “Well, it went...fine, I suppose.”

“Let me guess,” Taehyung began, “she grilled you both on how you’re acting like big children and that she just wanted you to succeed and to basically stop fucking around?”

Stopping in the corridor, Momo glared at Taehyung, who stopped as well once he noticed and turned around. He put his hands up defensively, “Not my words. Sana’s words, according to Eunbyul."

Momo shook her head and carried on walking, Taehyung following close behind.

“Hey,” Taehyung caught up to her and whispered, “didn’t you two date once?”

Momo stopped _again._ Spun around. Stared at Taehyung. “Yes. Once. For like, six months.”

“How did it...go?” Taehyung asked as if he had no idea.

The younger woman took a pause for a few seconds. Knitted her eyebrows together then raised them. Narrowed her eyes as Taehyung looked to the floor. He looked back up and smiled widely and innocently as if nothing happened.

“You _know_ how it went, Taehyung. You were _there,”_ Momo replied almost nonchalantly as she passed him. Taehyung nodded once and left the awkward conversation behind him, turning on his heels to follow Momo once again.

“Anyway, how’s you and Jin?” she asked after a few seconds.

“Oh! Uh, um...we’re doing great.”

They kept their voices down as much as possible.

“Any uh, hint of a…” Momo turned her body and pointed at her middle finger. Taehyung nearly jumped back in surprise. Momo stuck her tongue out. In truth, she was only teasing, but she also thought it would be cute if they had a secret little wedding.

“No! No um, not yet…” Taehyung scratched the back of his neck, playing with the hairs there as a shy smile appeared on his face and a faint tinge of pink hit his cheeks.

Momo chuckled as she faced the front again and continued walking. Her destination was one of the practice rooms.

Then, just as she approached the door, a small tune played from her phone. Pulling it out, she saw a text message.

**_Eunbyul_ **

**_Come up to office 3E please_ **

Momo groaned and rolled her eyes. Turning to Taehyung, she said that Eunbyul wanted to speak to her.

“What could she want now?” she asked. Taehyung simply shrugged.

Momo breathed out.

_‘What is it now?’_

—

“They want us to do what now?”

“Variety show. They want you two to appear on a variety show.”

Before, Mina wouldn’t want to appear on a variety show beside Momo for very different reasons.

And now, there seemed to be a new obstacle in the way.

“When?”

“18th April. A few days before your music video gets released.”

Mina remembered how they were going to film their music video on the 15th and 16th.

“I suppose our managers have already put us down for it?”

Namjoon looked up at her through his lashes, “What do you think I meant by _boss?”_

Mina raised an eyebrow briefly and sighed, “Why didn’t Jiseok tell me then?”

“He’s busy in his office catching up on paperwork. Asked me to do it instead.”

Namjoon then stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You two will get through it. You’re both strong women, you can do anything. Even if it means having to be in the same room as someone you don’t like for an extended period of time.”

Mina forced out a laugh.

How to explain that she was suddenly having _very_ unheard of feelings for Momo.

—

“I see…” Momo said upon hearing the news from Eunbyul.

“It’s just an hour for a variety show. Do you think you’ll manage that?” Eunbyul asked, rolling her eyes.

Momo mirrored her actions and replied, “I’m not a child.”

“You certainly like to _act_ like one sometimes, Momo.”

Momo began drumming her fingers on the table, glancing around the room, taking in the smell of the scented candle sat on Eunbyul’s desk. Notes of warm vanilla.

“So, when _is_ the variety show?”

“18th April,” Eunbyul responded, not looking up from her paperwork.

“Two days after our music video shooting ends.” Momo saw Eunbyul nod as she continued highlighting and taking notes.

“You’ll have to travel into the heart of Seoul for it,” Eunbyul explained, making eye contact with Momo, “we’ll leave here at 2:30pm, the show starts at 4pm. Gives you enough time to meet the hosts, get acquainted, although I think you’ve met these hosts before…”

Eunbyul handed Momo a couple of pieces of paper stapled together, explaining the details of the show and Momo recognised it right away.

“Yeah, yeah, I was on this variety show last year. It was a lot of fun.”

“It’ll be interesting with the two of you on the show.”

Momo surprised herself and Eunbyul by saying, “It should be fine.” Her manager raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled, then Momo said, “I mean, the MLB interview went okay.” She shrugged in a blasé manner, leaving Eunbyul to hum curiously then return to her work.

Momo looked up at the ceiling.

Why was this so hard to admit?

—

The first day of the music video shooting came around and there was hustle and bustle everywhere on set. Mina and Momo were getting ready in separate dressing rooms, their stylists working hard to make sure the two of them looked their best.

After what felt like hours, the duo stepped out of their dressing rooms.

And when they both looked at one another, they realised that this was going to get _much_ harder.

 _‘Oh my God, she looks...wow,’_ was all Momo could think as Mina stood a few metres away from her, dressed in a black jumpsuit with long sleeves and her hair tied back into a ponytail.

Momo couldn’t stare too long.

Mina couldn’t help but steal a glance at Momo every few seconds.

The two-piece of a pair of black leggings and a red crop top showing Momo’s midriff, her long black hair cascading down past her shoulders was enough to make Mina go red.

They had never seen each other like this in person before. They thought at the beginning they would be looking at each other with so much disgust and contempt in their eyes.

When they were on set, however, it was hard for them to _not_ suggest ways in which they could be closer together somewhat without raising suspicion with the staff or their managers.

They had an image to uphold, sure, but certain people can see through the veil.

The two of them had to watch out for the cameras that would flash every few seconds; behind the scenes footage. Wouldn’t want to give the fans the wrong impression.

A part of them often thought, _would it really matter?_

And then they both swallowed it down and forgot about it; in the long run, it absolutely _would_ matter.

They knew they couldn’t risk that for a _second,_ no matter the reason.

The second day was much the same, except a bit more awkward.

But their eyes never changed.

—

“Everybody welcome, Mina and Momo of MiMo!”

The duo walked out onto the set of the variety show and bowed to the viewers, introducing themselves.

“1, 2, 3, hello everyone…”

“Mina!”

“And Momo!”

“We are MiMo!”

Applause was heard as the host asked them about how they came to be a duo. They talked about their experiences so far, stealing glances every so often (more so than looking at the host himself).

“We _are_ roommates now, we live in the same dorm,” Mina began, “but we often go to our own company buildings.”

“It’s just more convenient for us because we know our way around our own building, and we also go to the company building of senior, Park Jihyo,” Momo added.

“Oh yes! I heard you’ve done a lot of preparation for your upcoming album on the 23rd at that company!”

The duo nodded enthusiastically. _Try and get into the spirit of the show,_ their managers had said. Everyone on social media was excited for it.

“What is your new album called?”

Mina and Momo turned to the camera. Just like they had rehearsed. Mina started.

“Our new album is called _Behind the Door…”_

“It talks about what might be going on that the general public can’t see…”

“And the other tracks cover similar themes and share similar messages.”

“Please look forward to it!”

The host reacted positively, smiling all the way before he said, “Do you know that the fans of your duo have given themselves a name?”

Mina and Momo exchanged looks. Truthfully, they _knew_ about it, but they didn’t know how official it was.

“Yes! They call themselves MiMonators!” the host stated. Mina and Momo couldn’t help but chuckle on air, but inside they were crumbling.

They had things going on within themselves, with each other as a duo, and with their managers, friends and fellow colleagues; their fans were no different.

Some of their fans had now merged into one. Some people who didn’t want to be associated with the other soloist’s fandom stuck to being one member’s fan.

With everything going on, it was no wonder they could only let out a chuckle on air.


	8. April: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [APRIL: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EJDB6GYWkAAXPy0?format=jpg&name=large)

The music video was finally out there. Mina and Momo had sat beside one another and watched it upload. They saw the tweet be posted. They began seeing the reactions.

Momo felt her phone buzz and she pulled it out.

**_Nabongs~~_ **

**_hey momoring! just watching the mv now! absolutely amazing, you both did so well, i’m so proud of you;; i’ll be coming back to the company building this afternoon, will kinda explain my absence a little bit lmao_ **

Momo blinks at the message before putting her phone back in her pocket. She had been wondering where Nayeon was for the past few months. Every time she would message her, Nayeon would simply reply that she was _busy working on something,_ and that _when the time was right, all would be explained._ She tapped out the tune of the title track on her thighs as the music video was nearing the end. Mina looked over to her left. Momo glanced back at her.

Everything was in the eyes. Nothing was being said.

Mina heard her phone go off and she took it out to see a call from Yoongi. Answering it, she heard, _“Woo! Go MiMo! Go MiMo! Go MiMo! Yeah! Yeah!”_

Mina couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. She recognised Namjoon’s voice too and if she wasn’t mistaken, Hoseok was also there. Momo noticed and listened to the hype going on on the other end and chuckled. Turning her loudspeaker on, she moved the phone so it was in between the two of them. The three of them continued.

 _“Go MiMo! Go MiMo! Go MiMo! Yeah! Yeah!”_ Then, Yoongi took over. _“Awesome song, guys! I know I heard you record it but hearing the finished version along with music video is amazing!”_

“Thanks, Yoongi!” Mina said.

“Yeah, thanks,” added Momo. They both smiled.

Namjoon then said, _“Fantastic job on that rap! Mina! I never thought I’d see the day! And well done to you to, Momo.”_

The two women said their thanks before Hoseok took the phone and said, _“Woo! The song is amazing! And the views are already frozen, people are going crazy over this song!”_

Mina and Momo stared at one another. The early reactions were mindblowing to say the least, and they knew it would become even _more_ insane.

They felt a mix of different emotions as they said their goodbyes to the trio and hung up. Mina put her phone back in her bag and exhaled, Momo following on after. That’s when they saw they had a notification from TATTOO.

_This song is incredible, and the M/V is fire! These girls have absolutely rocked it! MiMo Fighting~~_

They were completely taken aback by the level of support.

But then again, there was always negativity to combat the positivity.

On the hashtag, while there were many tweets from people saying how good it was, there were _other_ comments made.

_ugh, i can’t believe these two, complete rivals and yet they paint a false image of themselves to seem more appealing? they were better as soloists_

_why did they ever become a duo? the chemistry isn’t there and there’s NO real synergy between them_

_lmaoo i can’t wait to see how awkward the stages are gonna be_

Once the CEOs noticed how much they were looking at the negative comments, Minchul stepped forward and said, “Come on, don’t read any of that nonsense. They just don’t appreciate how hard you’ve worked. Look at this one!” Minchul pointed them to a much more optimistic tweet.

_listen, just appreciate how much time and effort they’ve put into this, they’ve sucked it up and swallowed their pride to work as a duo and you wanna be salty? bitches are mad_

All of this surprised them, yet at the same time they weren’t surprised.

Momo then saw another post about how they _hadn’t_ painted a fake image of themselves, and it’s highly likely that the company was doing that so it was less awkward, and that behind the scenes, they knew what was going on and what is was like.

_they definitely know more about it than you guys do_

Momo lifted an eyebrow at the statement, then nudged Mina to show her.

A tiny gesture that seemed so unheard of. A gesture that almost said _hey, we’re on the same page here._ Because they were.

In hindsight, they always were.

And when the two of them thought about how the post theorised that “behind closed doors,” the two of them might actually be getting along, they breathed a sigh of relief.

One comment in a sea of thousands that understood.

—

Later on in the afternoon, Nayeon suddenly came bursting through the door of her company building. She wore sunglasses and waved to everyone in the lobby, like she was returning from a six-month long trip abroad. Suddenly, she bumped into Eunbyul.

“Ah, Miss Im. Returning, I see?” she asked, folding her arms.

“You could say that,” Nayeon replied, removing her sunglasses and putting them on her head. “MiMo around?”

Eunbyul unfolded her arms and let them drop to her sides, “They’re in office 6D with the CEOs and some of the staff. Jiseok’s up there too. I need to go and fetch some paperwork about their upcoming shows and promotions. Don’t dawdle, please.”

“Weren’t planning on it,” Nayeon responded, replacing her sunglasses and strutting away, her heels clacking on the floor. Eunbyul regarded her and shook her head. She wished they could find some common ground again. Exhaling, she continued her journey to her office.

Nayeon approached office 6D and knocked on the door. Kyungho saw her through the window and upon opening the door, put a hand on his hip and said, “Nayeon.”

“Hey Kyungho!” Nayeon excitedly replied, walking through the door. Mina and Momo turned in their chairs and looked at Nayeon. Momo’s lips thinned out into a line as Mina looked back and forth between her and Nayeon.

“Where have you been?” Momo asked. “You’ve been gone since March.”

Nayeon took her sunglasses off and closed them before saying, “I’ve been working on something.”

“You’ve said that, but _what?”_

Nayeon took a deep breath, then confidently announced, “I’m collaborating with Jihyo again.”

Kyungho shut the door and crossed his arms, “And where was I in this discussion?”

Nayeon turned back to her boss and said, “You mean, Eunbyul didn’t tell you?”

“Eunbyul was aware?” Kyungho inquired, to which Nayeon nodded. He exhaled through his nose before taking out his phone and calling the manager. “Eunbyul? Can you please go to office 5G as soon as possible? We need to talk.”

On the other end, Eunbyul said, _“Uh, yeah, of course. Sure.”_

Kyungho put his phone back into his pocket and told Nayeon to come to office 5G with him. Nayeon rolled her eyes once he turned his back then followed him out of the office they were currently in.

Mina and Momo spun back around in their chairs to face Jiseok, who had an awkward expression on his face. Around them, staff were standing around, feeling slightly tense.

“Jihyo and Nayeon collaborating? Again?” Mina asked Momo, who nodded slowly in response, shocked herself.

“Yeah, I guess they are.”

“They last collaborated in...2015 right?” Jiseok asked. The duo nodded. “Wow…”

The two women sat back in their chairs. Mina crossed one leg over the other. Momo rested her elbow on the back of it and played with her hair.

 _‘So_ **_that’s_ ** _what Nayeon’s been working on.’_

Meanwhile, in office 5G, Nayeon and Eunbyul saw very clearly that Kyungho was _not_ happy.

“I can’t believe you, Nayeon. Just because you’ve been in this company for a long time, does _not_ mean you can make decisions and work on projects without my full knowledge and consent! You _may_ be your own idol, but you are still a member of this company.” Nayeon shifted her weight to her right leg as Kyungho turned to Eunbyul. “And Eunbyul. I honestly expected _far_ better of you.”

“Mr. Park, I-I’m so sorry, Nayeon told me to keep it a secret, but…”

“And you _listened_ to her?” Eunbyul swallowed thickly. “Jesus, Eunbyul. You are a _manager._ Managers must _always_ report back to the CEO if the artist makes them aware of a project they want to do.”

“I’m so sorry, Kyungho…”

The CEO sighed heavily. “You’re lucky I’m not going to fire you for this, but you will be reprimanded. Please go back to office 6D.”

Eunbyul simply said nothing, bowed, and made her way back to the other office.

“Now, Nayeon…”

The two turned to face one another, in what almost looked like a showdown. Nayeon narrowed her eyes and stared at Kyungho.

“Why do I have a feeling you deliberately went behind my back?”

Nayeon shrugged and said, “Because that’s your own perceived notion of something I would do?” Kyungho straightened his back. “Look, I didn’t do it to go behind your back or swindle you or whatever. It was genuinely meant to be a surprise project.”

“Regardless, you still kept this from me and the company. I’m sorry Nayeon, I can’t let you go through with the project.”

Nayeon widened her eyes and retorted, “You can’t do that! We’ve been preparing for this for so long!”

“But you _still_ failed to make me aware of it. I’m afraid you will have to tell Miss Park and her company to cancel your collaboration. That is all.” Kyungho passed Nayeon and left the office. Slowly, tears began welling up in her eyes. She wanted this to be a surprise.

_‘I suppose this is one thing you really can’t keep a surprise.’_

She then decided that she didn’t want to give up her collaboration. It killed her on the inside to do, but she knew there was only one way that she could still do this collaboration with Jihyo.

Turning on her heel, she walked out of office 5G, shut the door behind her, and made her way to the other office. Upon entering, she said to a now very stressed and angered manager, “Hey, Eunbyul...can I talk to you for a second?”

Eunbyul didn’t want to talk to Nayeon at that moment, but then she remembered what position she was in. She _was_ Nayeon’s manager after all. Rolling her eyes, she stood up and followed Nayeon out of the room, and was led down to her office by the younger woman.

Back in office 6D, Minchul coughed to dissolve some of the awkwardness and get everyone’s attention, “Um, we haven’t mentioned this ‘till now but, Mr. Park and I want us all to have celebratory drinks later! To commemorate your first official debut album as a duo,” he explained to the two women still sat down.

They glanced at one another, then looked back at the CEOs. “That would be great,” Mina spoke.

The two CEOs looked very happy, and a little pleased with themselves as Mina and Momo returned to looking at the computer screen. Out of nowhere, they received a message at the same time.

**_Sana_ **

**_You both did so well! I’m proud of you! Looks like you’re finally learning to take those sticks out your asses!_ **

Momo threw her head back and groaned a little while Mina laughed. They then exchanged looks. They hardly said anything.

Everything was in the eyes.

—

It only took until the end of the day. Everyone was at least expecting the woman of the moment, Im Nayeon to turn up to the celebratory drinks, but instead, Eunbyul came with a piece of paper in her hand, and a message.

“Park Kyungho?”

Kyungho turned at the mention of his name. Eunbyul held up the paper.

“Im Nayeon would like to discuss contract termination with you this very minute.”

At that moment, they all thought _someone_ was going to drop their drinks.

Nayeon? Suddenly leaving the company? Momo had to hold back tears of her own.

“The basis for this sudden termination involves desire to continue with the project that she’s been working on, but, we will discuss more in the meeting.”

Kyungho put his drink down. Adjusted his suit. He _had_ to attend this meeting. He composed himself before leaving the room and following Eunbyul back to her office.

One relatively short meeting later, and Nayeon was no longer a part of the company.

She approached Momo on her way out and hugged her tightly, whispering into her ear, “I had to do it. I’m so sorry, Momoring.”

“No, it’s...it’s okay, I’ll...anticipate your collaboration.”

Nayeon pulled back, “I’m not leaving _you,_ you know that right?” Momo smiled and nodded through tears as Nayeon wiped a stray one away. “I just know that I went against the company, but at the same time I want to continue. The only way I know how to fix that is to leave.”

Momo inclined her head, showing she understood. SMC and TATTOO stood nearby, along with Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok, the latter of which stepped forward and said his goodbyes. The two of them weren’t close per se, but they were definitely friends. Next was TATTOO, and the trio were often seen as Nayeon’s little siblings despite being the youngest out of all four.

It was a quick, yet sad goodbye.

Mina rested a hand on Momo’s shoulder. Almost astonishingly, Momo placed her hand on Mina’s.

They were truly starting to see eye to eye. Nayeon saw them before she left.

She still was of the belief that it wouldn’t last, yet she remained optimistic.

Not just for Momo, but for Mina too.

—

Their first performance together. The most nerve-wracking experience of both of their lives. This topped their debut performances as soloists, _nothing_ was more daunting than this.

The duo didn’t have a lightstick, so in the crowd they saw the fans carry either the lightstick of one of them, or both of them. A soloist had never had a lightstick before; Momo was the first one to have one, and then Mina followed suit.

Another thing to stir the pot a couple of years ago. Now they didn’t see it like that.

The opening to their live performance on M!Countdown was an interesting one. It was meant to be like an illusion: Mina would walk through one door but the camera would pan to the other side and Momo would appear stepping through it instead, and then, when she shut the door, Mina would appear from behind the closed door. Editing tricks.

They stood on the pitch black stage, and after a few seconds, saw the crowd waving their lightsticks and cheering. The two of them took deep breaths. All choreography. The choreography they used to rip each other’s hair out about, but had perfected over time. The song itself. The high-register line that Momo found tricky at first then refined. The small rap that Mina had difficulty learning but then improved. The music began.

As they began moving, they heard their introductory fanchant.

“Myo-ui! Mi-na! Hi-rai! Mo-mo! MiMo! MiMo! 사랑해!”

It was Mina’s turn first. She sang her part effortlessly while Momo was knelt down on the floor, doing hand and arm movements in time with the beat and in time with Mina’s singing. Momo stood up from the floor and they switched places for the next bit of the song, similar hand movements yet different positions.

They then both stood beside one another for Mina’s single in the pre-chorus, Momo’s hand on her shoulder as they moved their hips left to right. The slow part. The build-up to the chorus. It was then Momo’s turn to do her high-register line.

She nailed it live.

They did the first chorus together, their dancing and singing earning many cheers from the crowd and from those who were watching on the TVs backstage. None of them thought they would see this day.

The second verse came around and it was Momo’s turn to sing. They alternated from the first verse and stayed standing; their movements mirrored each other perfectly.

Eunbyul and Jiseok watched backstage with the proudest look on their faces.

They were singing the second chorus, and both knew that the rap was approaching.

 _‘Get this right,’_ Mina thought to herself.

For the rap, they stood back-to-back, making eye contact with the camera as it panned around them in a circle. It was powerful. The lyrics were a big _fuck you_ to everyone who didn’t believe in them. A huge turn around, as four months ago, they thought the exact same thing.

Mina’s final line in the rap came up, and they both faced the front, she ended it with the right amount of attitude, raising her left hand as Momo raised her right, the two of them clenching their fists at the exact same time.

Pyrotechnics went off as they sang and danced the final chorus. The outro was quick, simple, effective, and they ended the song passing each other and standing back-to-back once more, Mina on the right hand side, and Momo on the left.

They looked into the camera intensely, breathing hard.

After the show was over, they went backstage and were greeted with immense applause. They bowed to everyone there and stood beside one another, smiling widely.

 _‘I want to hug you right now,’_ they both thought at the same time.

So, slowly, gradually, Mina wrapped her arms around Momo’s neck, and Momo put her arms around Mina’s torso. And they hugged. They hugged and hugged.

Momo rested her chin on Mina’s shoulder.

Such a step up from where they were months before, when they were threatening to throw each across the room.

They both let their eyes well up with tears, their hearts beating tremendously fast.

A hug wasn’t all they wanted.

A peck on the lips wouldn’t have gone a miss either.


	9. May: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [MAY: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EKHZogBXkAIOh0K?format=jpg&name=large)

The first week of promotions were already over, and the duo didn’t know whether they were exhausted or had somehow gained more energy from somewhere. The second week had come round really quickly, and it was nearly time for them to perform their title track for what felt like the hundredth time.

None of them ever got tired of performing it, though.

They sat beside one another as they got their hair and make-up done. Both managers were in the same room, and they watched the two of them sit comfortably and quietly beside one another. Eunbyul glanced over at Jiseok and watched him ruffle his dark hair. It wasn’t long before they caught eyes. Jiseok then leaned in and whispered into her ear, “They seem to be getting on a lot better, huh?”

Eunbyul felt a shiver run down her spine. The way his voice sounded was enough to make her heart explode, but feeling his lips _this_ close made her pick at her nails involuntarily. Jiseok pulled away and Eunbyul tugged at her bottom lip before nodding in agreement. She then saw him lick his lips before turning to sit properly in his seat. Mirroring his actions, she folded her arms.

_‘Damn it, Eunbyul. Damn it, damn it, damn it, Eunbyul.’_

Jiseok’s eyes shifted to the left and he looked at Eunbyul once more before turning his attention to the duo again. _‘You’re doing yourself no favours, Jiseok,’_ he thought to himself.

Soon afterwards, both Mina and Momo stood up from their seats and walked towards the door leading out to the corridor that would lead them to the back of the stage. Their two managers stood simultaneously and gave the duo some final words of encouragement, as they had always done, before Mina and Momo said goodbye and left for the stage.

Passing by SMC’s dressing room - who had come back with a digital single the day before and were only doing a week of promotions for it - they saw the trio inside standing around. Once Dahyun caught their eyes, the three of them stepped out into the corridor to give them a short pep talk before they went out on stage.

“You’re gonna absolutely kill it, as always!” Dahyun said.

“You’re gonna be amazing!” Tzuyu added.

Chaeyoung, who knew she had to get used to them two working together but had begun seeing a slight change in their attitude, said, “You two are gonna rock.”

“Thanks Chae,” Mina replied. Momo gave a tiny, albeit awkward, smile. “And thank you Dahyun, Tzuyu."

“Yes, thank you SMC,” Momo said. They did a group hug before the duo made their way backstage to prepare for another performance.

As usual, everyone was watching backstage. Some fans were screaming their hearts out in the crowd, while other fans were at home watching it live. SMC were going to go on stage after them. In their dressing room, Dahyun decided to have them take a picture of themselves to show their support. It quickly blew up with a mix of fans being excited for their stage, and fans talking about their reference to MiMo. Chaeyoung couldn’t help but read the replies. She lowered her shoulders as she exhaled.

_‘Things have to get worse before they can get better.’_

\--

All of MiMo's promotions for _Behind Closed Doors_ had finally finished, and upon returning to her dorm, Mina collapsed down onto the sofa and groaned. It was her first proper break in weeks and even then, she knew it wouldn't last long. Out of nowhere, there was a knock at the door. Mina couldn't be bothered to stand up, her face almost melting into the sofa, but when she heard knocking again, she pushed herself up slowly and dragged herself to the door.

Opening it, she was met with a surprise hug from Namjoon and Yoongi, who almost sent her flying backwards.

"You did such a good job, Mina! You sounded amazing," Namjoon said rather loudly, making Mina pull her head away a little.

"Thanks, Joon," she replied, clearly fatigued.

"You guys were awesome! Everyone's already anticipating your next album!" Yoongi stated. Mina untangled herself from their embrace before tiredly saying, "We just came back, ha… Let us breathe first."

Turning around on the balls of her feet, she asked the two of them if they wanted a drink.

"Oh, no thank you, we only came to give these to you," said Namjoon, holding a bouquet of flowers. Mina noticed and raised an eyebrow at them.

Walking up to the pair again, she asked, "Who are these from?"

"The delivery guy didn't say, he just gave these to us and said they were for you."

"No card, nothing?"

Yoongi shook his head as Mina searched for one, "Nope, not a card in sight. Maybe it's from the CEO of the other company to say thank you and he just forgot to put a card in. I don't know." Yoongi shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

_'These flowers...they're so beautiful.'_

They were white lilies standing tall and had fully grown. Mina stared at them in awe. She wondered who would send them. A name crossed her mind, but it faded away quickly.

_'No… No way would she send me flowers.'_

"Well, thank you, I'll have to go buy a vase to put these in but...thank you very much." She took in the scent of the flowers and a tiny grin appeared on her face.

_'What if she did? No…she couldn't have done.'_

Mina couldn't fathom why Momo would do the same.

\---

Every muscle in Momo's body ached. Her body was on fire, and she felt like she could sleep for a whole decade. Once she got back to her dorm, she was prepared to go to bed, but couldn't get too far into the dorm before someone knocked at the door.

Loudly, she groaned, "What?" Ambling up to the door, she opened it and saw Taehyung standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Momo knitted her eyebrows together, exhaustion and confusion mixing together.

"You're not asking me on a date, are you?" Momo blurted out.

Taehyung's eyes widened, "Excuse me, what? Happily gay and got a boyfriend." He let out a chuckle and Momo smiled a little before rubbing her forehead.

"I know, I know, sorry… Just, what are you doing at my door with a bouquet of flowers in your hand?"

"Well, I was _gonna_ say _delivery for Miss Hirai from a secret admirer_ but you cut in," Taehyung shrugged a shoulder.

Momo blinked. _'Secret admirer?'_ The expression on her face clearly showed what she was asking herself in her head.

"I know, _secret admirer,"_ Taehyung continued, making his way past Momo and into her dorm, "but I'm being serious!"

Momo shut the door and folded her arms, "Isn't there a card to say who it's from?"

Taehyung quickly checked, then looked at Momo and shook his head. The younger woman briefly raised her eyebrows before taking the flowers.

Beautifully red chrysanthemums. She smelled them and smiled a little. It was totally out of the blue.

"Well, these are really nice…" she said quietly, with a hint of shyness.

"Maybe _she_ sent them," Taehyung said, clicking his tongue.

Momo almost dropped the flowers and her head snapped up to look at Taehyung before she chuckled, "I... don't think so." She walked over to where she kept her vase with an old bouquet of roses sitting in it that were slowly wilting and placed the chrysanthemums beside it to change later.

"Doesn't seem too far fetched in my opinion."

All Momo could do was stare at Taehyung with her brows raised.

The weird thing was, a part of Momo agreed with Taehyung.

She just couldn't imagine a world where Mina would send her flowers too.

\---

"You've gotta ease up, Chae," said Dahyun as the three of them were in their bedroom. Much like MiMo, their promotions had just finished. The digital single, _World,_ was considered by many to be their best song to date.

 _"I've_ gotta ease up?" Chaeyoung was offended by the statement.

 _"Yes,_ you've got to _stop_ acting so...so…" Dahyun struggled to think of the right word.

Tzuyu swooped in and said, "Hateful of Momo?"

"Yeah! That'll do."

"I can't control how I feel! Momo was a bitch to Mina for no goddamn reason! And I'm sorry, but I'm more willing to take Mina's side here."

Chaeyoung stormed over to her bed and grabbed her pyjamas. It wasn't night time, barely 7pm, yet Chaeyoung decided she was going to dress more comfortably and perhaps stay that way for a while to make up for all the mostly uncomfortable dresses she wore during that single week of stages. Dahyun and Tzuyu stayed in their casual clothes.

"You ever thought that maybe, just maybe, Momo and Mina are sorting their shit out?" Dahyun asked her. Chaeyoung pulled up her pyjama trousers and tied a knot before sighing.

"They might be, but that doesn't excuse the shit that Momo did."

Dahyun rolled her eyes. Tzuyu saw and stepped in, "You have to give Momo a chance to prove that she's changed. Remember, Mina did some things she wasn't and still isn't proud of."

"They both made stupid mistakes sure, but--"

"Momo's is somehow inherently worse?" Dahyun interjected. The look on Chaeyoung's face answered her question. "Like Tzuyu said, they both did dumb shit. Probably fuelled by jealousy over actually having hatred for one another. Maybe they're slowly starting to realise that."

Chaeyoung didn't want to believe Dahyun for some reason, but there was a voice telling her to stay quiet because in the end, Dahyun was right. There was no point in arguing with the truth.

"They're simply two soloists who always felt like they had to compete and were _constantly_ doing just that, and now they've been thrown together in a duo and made to work with one another. I think a few home truths have come out of that," Tzuyu declared.

Chaeyoung bit her bottom lip as she put on her pyjama top and sat down on the bed.

"Just like we said to Mina, you don't have to be her friend, you don't even have to get along with her, but please just try to be civil. For Mina's sake," said Dahyun softly.

Chaeyoung sat up straight. It was those last three words that made all the difference.

\---

"Don't we sound amazing together?" Jihyo complimented as she and Nayeon listened to their recording.

"Uh, we sound _perfect_ together, God knows why we haven't collaborated more."

Jihyo picked at her nails, "You _know_ the reason." Nayeon looked to her right at the woman sitting beside her. Took her hand to stop her picking her nails. Kissed her knuckles then intertwined their fingers.

Jihyo glanced back at her with soft eyes. She couldn't help but giggle. "God, Im Nayeon, why are you so irresistible?"

Nayeon bit the inside of her bottom lip, "I could ask the same thing of you." Their eyes only said one thing. Jihyo briefly looked at the desk in front of them, then eyed Nayeon with a smirk.

"I think we're done listening to this for the day."

"That we are. Now...get over here."

Jihyo immediately stood up and found herself sat on Nayeon's lap facing her; Nayeon wrapped her hand around Jihyo's neck and pulled her down for a long, passionate kiss as Jihyo began unbuttoning Nayeon's shirt. Nayeon ran her other hand up Jihyo's thigh, then underneath her top, the coldness sending a shiver up Jihyo's spine.

Besides the singing and performing, it was the best part of mixing business with pleasure.

But how could they tell even their closest of friends that they had been together for three years?

\---

In just over three weeks time, MiMo would be having their first fanmeet as a duo. The two of them wondered why it was so far away, as fanmeets typically happened soon after promotions ended, but their managers decided it would be best to let them have a little break from each other.

"A break from each other?" Momo mumbled to herself. "We're not three." Her mind then travelled back to their first meeting together and suddenly she knew why their managers might have that mindset.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the door open and TATTOO entering the dance studio. She turned around, "Hey."

"Oh, hey," Jaebeom greeted her. "Happy that promotions are over?"

 _"Happy_ isn't the word I'd use. Performing for fans is always an honour."

"Relieved then?" Yugyeom asked.

Momo pondered it for a bit, then hummed affirmatively.

"I can only imagine what performing with your enemy's like," Seulgi commented.

"Gah, she's _not_ my enemy!"

Momo suddenly realised what she had just said. What she might've implied. Her eyes widened and she hid her lips. The trio simply looked at her with slightly puzzled expressions, less because of the words and more so because of the sudden defensiveness of them.

Staring at the floor, she kicked her feet along the wood and hoped that they wouldn't push it.

Thankfully, they didn't.

\---

"Are you gonna be performing your side tracks at all?" Jeongyeon asked Mina as they stood in her kitchen.

"Yes, we're performing _Mirror_ and _Pepper Spray,_ the two favourites from what we've discovered. Jiseok and Eunbyul are sending us to a few small events leading up to our fanmeet to promote our album a bit more, and because well, the event organisers _really_ want us there, apparently."

Jeongyeon sipped her tea and said, "No surprise to me why they'd want you there. You're one of the biggest soloists in South Korea, along with Momo. The two of you together? Whew…"

Mina raised an eyebrow. "What are you implying, Miss Yoo?"

Jeongyeon ultimately looked very confused. She glanced up at Mina over her mug and said, "Nothing. Why would I be implying anything? I just mean you two are basically the most famous soloists right now, so these event organisers would see a lot of engagement and traction inviting you. Why, what did you think I was implying?"

Mina put her mug down and swallowed the tiny lump forming in her throat. Why could she suddenly feel butterflies? _'This shouldn't be happening,'_ she thought.

"Oh, nothing."

Mina and Momo's mind seemed to be completely in sync.

It really wasn't nothing.

And if they didn't do something about it soon, it was going to make them explode.


	10. May: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [MAY: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ELOYuofX0AAGMpY?format=jpg&name=large)

“One, two, three, hello everyone!”

“I’m Mina…”

“I’m Momo!”

“And we’re MiMo!”

The duo looked at the crowd in awe, holding microphones with wide smiles on their faces. Their introduction was a little shaky, only because they were so taken aback by the amount of people there.

 _‘Holy shit…’_ Momo thought as her eyes flickered across the many fans holding banners and lightsticks.

 _‘This is insane,’_ thought Mina as she nervously eyed the floor and kicked her feet across the stage, her lips upturned in a shy grin.

They stood on stage for a few minutes in front of a table where they would be sitting down to begin their fansigning shortly.

“How are we feeling today?” Momo asked the crowd, to which the fans responded with loud cheers. The event was taking place outside in the heart of Seoul, not too far from Jihyo’s company building. “That’s good to hear.”

“It’s really hot today, isn’t it?” questioned Mina as she turned to Momo, who nodded in response. More noise could be heard from the crowd. They both reckoned it was at the sight of them merely facing one another. Camera flashes went off and they could hear dozens of clicks as photos were being taken of them.

They both turned to address the crowd again, “Thank you so much for coming out here to join us,” Momo said, bowing her head a little.

“Yes, it’s a great honour to have you all here today,” added Mina, also bowing her head. “Did you guys like the album?” They heard more affirmative shouts and cries from the audience about how much they liked it as Mina said with a giggle, “That’s good.”

Momo bit the inside of her bottom lip and let her eyes travel to the right, looking at Mina from bottom to top. When Mina caught her gaze, a faint blush hit their cheeks. Blinking simultaneously, they turned back to the audience and told them that they were going to start the fansigning portion of the event.

They both parted ways before joining each other again behind the table and sitting beside one another. Between themselves, they smiled and whispered about things that the audience couldn’t hear, but were definitely speculating about. Their fansites took photo after photo of the two of them, and one particular image immediately began circulating around the internet from the many fans who took pictures on their phones.

A picture of the two of them smiling at one another.

A simple look. A simple gesture. Something that on any given day wouldn’t have been such a big deal.

It somehow made all the difference considering who was smiling at who in the picture.

And it made much _more_ of an impact when Mina and Momo _couldn’t_ stop looking at one another.

They really should have tore their eyes away at some point. Stopped staring so intensely at one another. It wasn’t even meant to be so intense. Mina once again found herself lost in Momo’s eyes. Momo’s eyes couldn’t stop flickering down to Mina’s lips.

The elevator situation.

What do you do when you’re trapped in an elevator with someone you’ve recently discovered you’ve got a _massive_ crush on? Bonus points: none of you know how the other person truly feels.

Do you try and initiate something? Do you make light conversation or immediately go in for the kill?

But then the elevator doors open, a whole group of people are standing there and they need to get in. You have to squeeze real tight and suddenly, it’s not just the two of you in the elevator anymore.

You’re pushed up against either end, and all you have is the look in the other person’s eyes, and the expression that you are most _definitely_ giving them. The signs you’re conveying to each other. The emotion that is dispersing through the air like a fine mist that lands so heavily on the other person’s shoulders.

And you’re stuck. And you wish you didn’t have to part ways when you inevitably get off on the same floor.

But you have no choice.

Mina couldn’t look away, even when she realised that if she didn’t stop, she would’ve kissed Momo any rate.

And _fuck that,_ right?

But suddenly, the crowd on the other side of those elevator doors interrupt them. And they’re pushed to either end.

“Mina? Mina?”

The younger brunette was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Jiseok telling her that a fan had stepped forward. The duo turned to face the audience again and Mina immediately looked up, putting a smile on her face as the fan sat down in front of her. 

The smile was genuine, yet Mina also tried to hide what was behind it. A sudden burning desire to kiss the woman next to her.

If only she knew Momo wanted the exact same thing.

As soon as Mina finished speaking to the fan and signing their album, she reached under the table, found Momo’s hand and took it. Trying not to appear ultimately taken aback by the sudden contact, Momo squeezed Mina’s hand lightly. They didn’t need to share eye contact for them to know.

A new electricity was forming between them, but they somehow realised themselves that it was going to get harder before it was going to get easier.

\--

From the sidelines, Jiseok and Eunbyul watched as Mina and Momo laughed together and with their fans onstage. They admired how well they seemed to be getting along, but didn’t know if it was genuine, or if there was some ulterior motive.

“I don’t think anyone could blame us for thinking the way we do,” Eunbyul whispered. “I mean, we’ve had to deal with their spiteful comments about one another day in and day out.”

Jiseok raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement, “It’s definitely pleasant to see. I never thought they would get on _so_ well.”

“Perhaps working with one another over the last few months has opened their eyes a little,” Eunbyul responded, looking back at Jiseok. They stared at one another for a little bit before Eunbyul coughed and passed the older male.

Jiseok sighed and let his eyes shut. Turning around, he said, “Eunbyul.”

Eunbyul stopped. She spun around and gave a tiny smile, “Yes?”

Exhaling, Jiseok eyed the floor, running his tongue over his lips as he thought about his next words. Eunbyul watched him as he rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers running through the tiny strands there. He looked back up at her, his deep brown eyes staring directly into hers.

“I wanna take you out for lunch some time.” The nerves tumbled out of him at rapid speed and he chuckled to himself as he looked back down at the pavement beneath his feet.

In his mind, he thought he asked a terrible question at the wrong time and to a person who wouldn’t be interested. But he caught a glimpse of Eunbyul walking up to him slowly, her smile widening and his wall started to fall down.

“I’d...love to,” she replied, her voice light and a little coy. She brought a hand to her reddening cheek and felt it grow increasingly warm. As she let her hand fall, it was replaced with Jiseok’s.

“I’ve uh…” He struggled to make his sentences coherent. “I’ve liked you for quite some time now.”

“And um...I you,” Eunbyul replied. The feeling of his hand on her skin sent a whirlwind of butterflies colliding with one another in her stomach. She didn’t realise someone could make her feel this way. But when he asked his next question, she could feel her knees buckling.

“May I...kiss you?”

The two of them suddenly didn’t care that a whole crowd of people could potentially see them. They just wanted to feel their lips pressed against one another. And when Eunbyul nodded _yes,_ too lost for words, and stepped closer to Jiseok so they could finally kiss, the audience that was there for MiMo suddenly pointed to where they could see the pair kissing.

Mina and Momo turned around, and upon seeing their managers part ways they grabbed one another’s hand again in shock.

Eunbyul and Jiseok turned their heads to briefly greet the audience before they saw the duo run up to them.

“What? You two? I--” Momo tried to get the words out but failed.

“Yes,” Jiseok said, taking Eunbyul’s hand, “us two.” Eunbyul looked up at him and smiled before resting her head against his chest. “I’m gonna be taking her out for lunch at some point, and uh, she gets to pick,” he stated, glancing down at Eunbyul.

“Wow… I’m… Congratulations!” Mina beamed. Momo mirrored her facial expression as they both shook their and each other’s manager’s hands. Their fans were screaming at the new revelation and exchanging looks, all of them holding their phones up to take as many pictures as they could.

“Well, go back to your fans, guys! They’re waiting for you!” Eunbyul shooed them back to the stage so they could perform their title track while they disappeared behind the billboard at the back.

The two women returned to the stage and apologised for running away so suddenly, hands still clasped to their mouths in surprise. Soon after, they noticed they were still holding hands.

Immediately, they both gazed at their hands. How their fingers had naturally interlocked. The crowd almost fell silent, save for the whispers.

Momo let go first, albeit slowly, and without running her fingers across Mina’s palm as she did so. Mina folded her arms and groaned.

_‘For fuck’s sake, Momo, let me kiss you.’_

Momo looked back at her and could read her face almost perfectly.

_‘Trust me, Mina, I want to as well.’_

\--

The fanmeeting had come to an end, and they were saying their goodbyes and wishing everyone a safe journey home. Once they were certain everyone had gone, they sat down at the table once more and sighed, like it was the first time they had breathed since it had all started.

“That was a lot of fun,” Mina exhaled.

“Yeah! Eunbyul and Jiseok though!” Momo replied.

“Tell me about it!” They laughed for a few seconds, then it died fairly quickly. They caught each other’s eyes again. It frustrated both of them that they weren’t talking about anything other than work, or their friends, or their managers, or the music. They had been talking about their next album before they had even addressed the elephant in the room.

Out of the blue, Momo asked, “Where do we stand, Mina?”

Mina was staring at her thighs as Momo questioned her. Her hands were in her lap. She ran the tips of the fingers on her left along the palm of her right where Momo had done the same not too long ago. Eventually, she glanced up.

“Where do we stand?” Mina repeated. Momo simply nodded. The brunette swallowed thickly.

“Do you hate me, basically?”

Instinctively, Mina shook her head. “I… I don’t think I…”

“You don’t _think_ you do?”

“Look, I don’t…” Mina began, but Momo cut in.

“You don’t, what? You don’t know?” Momo wondered. Her tone of voice was a little harsh. Mina narrowed her eyes at Momo, contemplating why they were suddenly back at square one.

“No, I _don’t_ know!” Mina suddenly snapped. She rested her elbow on the table and ran her forefinger and thumb across her brows in exasperation.

Momo poked her tongue into her cheek before saying, “Well, let me know once you’ve figured it out, eh?” She stood up and shook her head as she stormed away. Mina got up and followed her.

“Momo! Momo, wait!” Mina grabbed her arm and made her turn around.

“Why? Why _should_ I wait? God... things were going _so_ well today!”

“Well _you_ were the one who asked the fucking question!”

“Yeah, because maybe I’m fucking sick of not knowing where we stand!”

“Well maybe I’m--” 

Mina then realised she was maybe a little too close to Momo. So close she could feel her breath on her face. So close their noses were almost touching.

So close they could almost...

“Mina? Momo?”

Sana’s voice.

As soon as the two women heard her, they put about a metre between them.

Sana came into view and stared at them. She shifted her weight onto one leg and saw how the duo’s face turned as red as the lipstick she was wearing.

“Please tell me you two have kissed.”

They stared Sana down.

It was always going to get worse before it got better.


	11. June: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [JUNE: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EM7G3MHWoAUfzWr?format=jpg&name=900x900)

“The fact that you were _this_ close. Can’t believe I ruined that moment.”

Sana’s voice came as an echo to Momo’s ear as she stood in the photobox getting her hair and make-up touched up before her photoshoot. Momo suddenly stood up straight, dropping her once folded arms, her eyes widening.

Through gritted teeth, Momo muttered, “Sana! Can you _not?”_

Sana simply shrugged on set as her stylist fluffed up her hair and put an extra layer of lipstick on her. Once the make-up artist backed away, Sana got into her first pose and Momo started seeing camera flashes to her right out of the corner of her eye. She jumped slightly at the sight.

“What? I haven’t said anything,” Sana stated, innocently.

Momo folded her arms once more and glared at her friend. Her ex. She shook her head. The _ex_ thing isn’t a problem anymore.

“You don’t know who could hear,” the older woman said in a low voice.

Sana shrugged once more and continued posing. Groaning, Momo turned on the balls of her feet and went to sit down on the nearest chair.

A couple dozen photos later, and Sana slipped off her heels to join Momo. She sat down on the seat to her right and crossed one leg over the other. Feeling Momo’s eyes on her, Sana turned to her left and smiled widely, but Momo’s expression didn’t match hers.

“Ugh, what?” Sana rolled her eyes.

“What do you mean, _what?”_ Momo whispered. Sana was _really_ good at getting under her skin.

“Exactly that: what?” Her voice on the surface played the person that didn’t know what was happening, yet Momo could tell there was an underlying layer of Sana knowing _exactly_ what she was doing.

“Oh my _God_ you are unbelievable,” Momo replied, sinking down in her chair and looking straight ahead.

 _“Me_ unbelievable? Look in the mirror, love,” Sana said, almost affectionately, if that was even possible. Momo stared at her again and narrowed her eyes. “Look, the day of the fanmeet I caught you and Mina and it _looked_ like you had just made out with one another.”

“Oh, would you like to raise your voice any louder, I don’t think your manager heard you?” Momo said with explicit disbelief in her tone. Standing up, she grabbed her bag and made haste to storm out of there.

Sana stood as well and followed her until she could grab Momo’s arm and turn her around. Taking both hands, Sana looked straight into Momo’s eyes. “You two _need_ to sort your shit out, okay? I can’t be the captain of this ship forever! You’re gonna have to pilot that shit yourselves!” Her voice was low but it still sounded loud to Momo.

“You don’t _pilot_ a ship you actually technically _steer_ it--”

Sana took one hand away and waved it in front of Momo’s face, “You’re missing the point. I saw the pictures from that fanmeet. You two looked like you were getting on just fine! Or was that all a front too?” Sana took the other hand away and placed it on her hip.

Momo wrapped one arm across her stomach and the other across her chest, her right hand holding onto the opposite shoulder. “None of that was a front...I felt a _real_ connection that day,” she admitted. It felt liberating to just get _that_ off her chest.

“Well then...what happened?” Sana sounded genuinely concerned somewhat.

“We argued again,” Momo responded, letting her arms drop, “about where we stand. I guess I kind of started it but, I just wanted to see where we were!” Sana nodded along, taking in all of the information. “It’s just...frustrating.”

“I can agree with that, but, I’m sure this is infuriating for Mina too.”

“I guessed I wasn’t alone on that one.”

Sana shook her head dramatically, “You certainly aren’t, friend.” She comfortingly put her arm around Momo’s shoulder as they walked in the direction the older woman was originally going. There was a few seconds of silence while the two of them didn’t know what to say. Then, Sana spoke, “I think you’re scared.”

“Scared? Scared of what?”

“Scared of admitting that you feel an emotion for each other that isn’t hatred.”

It seemed ridiculous at first. But then Momo started to put the pieces together.

Briefly, she stopped and put her head in her hands. She felt pathetic. Sana pulled her into a hug.

“Look, it’s fine, I get it. You seem to hate someone for so long that feeling any kind of positive emotion for that person seems absurd. But the truth is, you _do_ feel a positive emotion for Mina.”

A short pause followed.

“I’m...I’m in love with her, Sana.”

A weight being lifted from her heart. Sana could feel it too. She looked at Momo fondly.

“It took a lot for you to say that, huh?” she joked, mildly. Momo chuckled a little and nodded against Sana’s shoulder. “Then you need to go and _tell_ her that, instead of trying to ask her where you both stand, start the conversation by letting her know where _you_ stand. You know what you know, _tell_ her that.”

In more ways than one, Momo felt stupid for being told what appeared to be obvious advice. But the truth was, she _needed_ to hear it. She needed to hear Sana telling her the obvious, because deep down, Momo knew she was being oblivious.

Sana backed away and said, “I’ve gotta get back on set for my next part of the photoshoot, but _you_ have a plane to Japan to get ready for, yes?”

Momo nodded and looked at Sana, before saying, “Thank you.”

“No worries, my love,” Sana replied, gently taking Momo’s hand again. “Be sure to let me know how it goes over there if I’m too busy to look at my phone for even a second.”

“Of course,” Momo said, softly, before they shared another quick hug.

Turning on her heels, Momo took a deep breath in and out before leaving the building, while Sana patiently watched her go.

Sana then spun around herself and went back on set, certain thoughts never leaving her mind.

\--

“She just _had_ to ask where we stand,” Mina said, annoyed as she opened the fridge door in Jeongyeon’s dorm to get a bottle of iced tea out.

“I know, you’ve told me a hundred times,” Jeongyeon replied, though she didn’t sound nearly as annoyed at being told the same story multiple times in the days since the fanmeet.

It was the 2nd June. The duo were getting ready to catch a plane on the 3rd, and it seemed that after the argument at the fanmeet, the idea of sitting beside one another on a plane journey didn’t evoke the same somewhat happy feelings that it once did.

“Everything was going _so_ well and then she had to go and _ruin_ it, didn’t she?” Mina said openly, like she was giving an angry speech as she took the lid off the bottle and drank about half of the iced tea in one go.

Jeongyeon turned her head to the right to see her do it and thought, _‘Well, that’s my iced tea gone.’_ She rolled her eyes a little before standing up from the sofa she was lying across.

“I just...I can’t believe her! We were talking! We were _smiling!”_ Mina said _smiling_ emphatically, as if it was the biggest shock in the world that she and Momo would smile at one another. “We were _laughing!_ And then at the end of the day she has to go and say some shit like that!” Mina finished off the iced tea before putting the lid back on and throwing the empty bottle in the bin. Jeongyeon made a mental note to fish it out and clean it properly later.

Others would have thought Mina was slightly drunk by the way she was acting. Jeongyeon just knew she was someone who had some feelings to work out.

And she wasn’t shy in coming out and saying it. “You like her a lot, don’t you?”

Mina clutched at her chest in a similarly drunk fashion despite not touching a sip of alcohol and said, “Do I? God I don’t even _know_ anymore!”

The performance Mina was putting on was very entertaining to Jeongyeon’s mind, but it felt a little over the top. And unnecessary.

“Do you like her or not?”

Mina dropped the act and picked at her fingernails. “Yes, Jeongyeon. I _do_ like her. And that’s what’s so fucking _vexing_ about this whole thing!”

Jeongyeon rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to suppress a chuckle. _‘Of course Mina would use the word “vexing”.’_

“Why don’t you say that to her?” Jeongyeon asked what she thought was a perfectly acceptable question, but was met with laughter in response.

“Tell her?” More laughter. “Tell her!” Mina tapped Jeongyeon’s shoulder. “Ah...you’re, you’re funny!” Yet more laughter.

At this point, Jeongyeon was now the level of exasperated she probably should’ve been earlier. Her eyes darted towards the ceiling before she exhaled through her nose and looked back down, “Just tell her, for God’s sake. You’re doing each other no favours!”

“Well if _she_ has to ask us where we stand clearly she’s got no fucking idea how she feels!”

“Or maybe she’s all too familiar with how she feels and doesn’t know how _you_ feel, and is probably sick to death of playing this back and forth game of the worst rally of tennis ever!”

Mina suddenly stopped and stared at the blonde opposite. Her face fell and she pouted ever so slightly. Sighing loudly, she said, “I don’t even know _how_ to. Like how do you go up to someone who’s been your public enemy for years and say _hey, by the way, I’m seriously in love with you and think about kissing you all the time!”_

Jeongyeon folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, “So _that’s_ what your feelings are.”

“See, _you_ didn’t even know!”

“Oh, no Mina, I knew. It just feels great to hear you finally say it out loud to yourself.”

Mina walked away from the kitchen and into the lounge to slump down on the sofa. Jeongyeon moved to stand in front of the sofa and look down at her.

“If you don’t do something about it soon, that kissing thing that you desperately want to happen, will never happen.”

“How do I even know that Momo wants the same thing?” Mina said, face muffled against the cushions.

“Oh my God! I hate to sound cruel but, are you dumb? Momo’s been giving you those same eyes if I’m not mistaken!”

Pushing herself up off the sofa, Mina brushed the stray hairs out of her face and turned to sit down properly. Jeongyeon took a seat beside her.

“You’re absolutely terrified.”

Mina turned to her with a look of shock, “What do you mean?”

“You’re terrified, of being in love with Momo. That’s what this all comes down to. And I can almost assuredly say, that Momo is going through this too. But nothing will get resolved if you don’t talk to one another.”

Mina crossed her legs on the couch and began biting her nails.

Jeongyeon then said something that would stick with the brunette.

“Don’t perpetuate the media’s use of your _feud_ if it no longer exists.”

The blonde stood up to use the bathroom, leaving Mina to ponder her words.

She was right. There was no longer a feud between them. Mina reckoned that there hadn’t been a feud there for a while.

Why was she so afraid? Why wasn’t a plane ride next to someone she genuinely had feelings for not exciting her in any way?

In the distance, she saw a reflection of her face in the window. She questioned why it was only _now_ starting to make sense.

It was evening time.

Mina stretched and yawned. She had to pack for a flight to Japan.

\--

The camera flashes were everywhere. Fansites were taking pictures left right and centre as the duo made their way through the airport.

Many fansites reported a different air about the place. It seemed more awkward than what was going on at the fanmeet.

MiMo were heading to Japan for another fanmeet in Tokyo. They would be there for three days then they’d be making their way back to Korea.

On the way to the airport, the two women didn’t talk to one another, as another argument in the morning caused two tweets that would almost seal their fate.

_“Why did you ask me at the fanmeet of all places where I stood on this whole thing?” Mina asked._

_“Because, I don’t know, maybe I thought I’d get an answer after we spent the whole day doing what we were doing!”_

_“And what exactly were we doing?”_

_“Are you kidding?” Momo stepped back, hands on hips. “We were extremely close if you don’t mind me saying. We fucking held hands! Don’t tell me that was all just a play to the cameras!”_

_Mina gulped. She couldn’t lie. Because lying to Momo meant indirectly lying to the fans about why they seemed to hold hands for many seconds longer than anyone would have expected which would then lead to the shitstorm of tweets about the event._

_“That...was…”_

_Momo couldn’t believe her ears._

_“It wasn’t, was it?”_

_Mina felt undeniably cornered._

_And before Momo could take her hand with tears in her eyes and say she felt the same way, Mina said, “We have a flight to catch.”_

The reason why they came to sit across the aisle from one another in the window seat, with their managers beside them.

Jiseok and Eunbyul, the new couple, looked at each other. Their eyes said the same thing.

_When will they ever get over this issue?_

What the managers didn’t realise was that the _issue_ wasn’t their feud.

It was their feud no longer existing.

And no one would really be able to make sense of that.

Apart from Mina and Momo, of course. Inside their own heads. And their hearts.


	12. June: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [JUNE: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ENemUGjWsAAZgRS?format=png&name=small)

Three days spent in Japan felt like three eternities. All the while the duo were thinking of ways to bring the topic up with one another.

\--

_Their plane touched down in the early afternoon. They made their way through customs and the dozens of people who were waiting for their arrival, with cameras flashing and fans screaming their names, both individually and as a duo._

_"Mina! Mina! Myoui Mina!"_

_"Momo! Hirai Momo! Momo!"_

_"MiMo! MiMo!"_

_They waved at every single fan they could and tried to reach for as many letters as possible but could only grab a couple before they were rushed through the airport and towards the van that was waiting for them outside._

_Inside the van, they waved at everyone who followed them with bright smiles on their faces. Momo leaned forward so she could be seen better and Mina could feel her breath on her neck. She coughed lightly and Momo briefly glanced to her left. Soon after, the older woman drew back and sat in her seat properly, putting her seatbelt on. Mina did the same and they drove away._

_Most of the ride to the hotel was silent. It was just the two of them and the driver. Eunbyul and Jiseok were in another car, no doubt kissing in the backseat for the whole journey._

_Every so often, they caught each other's eyes. Their hands were sat in their laps, and at one point, Mina put her right hand on the middle seat. She almost scratched at the fabric as her eyes stayed locked on the outside world._

_Momo looked down at her hand. It was an invitation. She could see that. She moved her left hand to the middle seat._

_Glancing back, Mina and Momo looked at one another then their hands again. They chuckled to themselves, both feeling like teenagers._

_At the same time, they slowly moved to hold one another's hand._

_It was a first step._

_They interlocked their fingers. It felt so natural. Momo ran her thumb over Mina's._

_Their eyes were glassy._

_"Hotel," Mina whispered._

_"Hotel," Momo repeated._

_They squeezed each other's hand before letting go._

_Mina tugged at her bottom lip as a smile worked its way onto her face. Momo smirked as she rested her head on the window._

_Soon after, they arrived at the hotel. Quickly, they got out of the van and collected their luggage before taking it inside and waiting to be directed to their rooms. Thankfully, there was no one outside the hotel, meaning they could get to their room swiftly and with no problems._

_Once they entered, they noticed only one bed in their room. They glanced at each other with slightly wide eyes until they heard a knock at the door._

_Momo turned on her heels and went to answer it; standing there were their managers._

_"Oh, ahem, sorry about that. Been a slight mix up. This is our room," Eunbyul chuckled with Jiseok standing behind her with their luggage._

_The duo breathed out and grabbed their luggage. As they passed their managers they bowed to them as the two apologised again. Mina and Momo said there was no problem, and they moved to the room opposite which had twin beds._

_'Understandable,' they thought simultaneously._

_"Oh! MiMo! Don't dawdle, we have a lunch meeting at 3:30pm with the event organisers for your fanmeet that'll start at 6!" Jiseok called before he shut the door to his and Eunbyul's room._

_Mina and Momo looked at each other then the clock at the wall. It was nearly 3pm._

_"Guess we better just get ready, huh?" Mina said, a little annoyed. Momo hummed in response and they set about getting ready in mostly silence._

_Seeing each other's outfits for the lunch meeting made their cheeks burn. That they couldn't hide from one another._

_\--_

_The lunch meeting seemed to drag on for a while, and Mina and Momo spent the majority of it twiddling their thumbs under the table and smiling and answering every question that was thrown their way. After it was over, their managers admitted that they thought it was boring too, but it needed to be done, which the duo understood._

_By the time they got back to the hotel, it was just past 5pm. They were told to get ready as quickly as possible so they could leave at 5:30pm for the fanmeet, meaning they never stopped to take a breath and talk to one another._

_The one thing they hoped they'd be able to do once they got to the hotel._

_Leaving at 5:30pm meant they arrived at the venue with ten minutes to spare before the start of their fanmeet. To them it seemed like a close call, but apparently it was just enough time for them to quickly run through their title track and main b-side before going out on stage to greet their fans._

_It was to last for an hour, and it went off without a hitch. Between the last fanmeet and this, the fans couldn't tell that nothing bad had happened between them, for they were still getting along, and looking at one another with warm, genuine smiles. The air was a lot more pleasant, and at one point, Mina briefly rested her head on Momo's shoulder, which spawned the same level of tweets that the stare from their first fanmeet caused._

_Everything they did always got to the fans at light speed, and as they both stared at the crowd at the end of their first performance, the mixed response to their music video came back to their minds._

_The people who saw how hard they were trying. The people who thought they were trying too hard. The people who were sceptical of how genuine it all was. The people who truly saw how genuine it all was._

_As they stood back to back, Momo reached for Mina's hand. Mina looked at it, shocked, but then they both bowed together just like that. More pictures were taken. More articles with headlines that either pushed the "they're such good friends now" or the "are they really friends now or is it all fake?" agenda._

_They let go of each other's hand. They both knew. It was just saying it out loud._

_And then it was saying it out loud to the public. Or did they need to say it out loud to the public?_

_They had to let their fans know. But at the same time, what would happen if they let their fans know?_

_At the same time, they thought about Seungwan and Joohyun. Namjoon and Hoseok. Seokjin and Taehyung._

_They then thought about each other._

_They were in love with each other._

_Momo scolded herself for laughing at Seungwan's suggestion. Because at the end of the day, it was exactly what Momo pined after. As did Mina._

_They should date. They should get together._

_Mina grabbed Momo's hand again. Interlocked it once more, except they were no longer in the car. They could be seen by close to a hundred if not more people._

_And every possible reaction came._

_As it always did. And always would._

_\--_

_By the time they had dinner and got back to their hotel, it was nearly 10pm. The duo were tired and just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep the whole day away._

_Lethargically, they got ready for bed and clambered into them, the only lights on being their bedside lamps._

_Face muffled against the pillow, Momo grumbled, "I'm so fucking tired."_

_"Same," Mina groaned, staring at the ceiling. She grabbed her phone and unlocked it, going on Twitter. She refreshed the timeline a few times and scrolled up. Tweets from her friends, other celebrities, random news sites, and of course the obligatory ones about them._

_"What are they saying?" Momo asked, propping herself up on her elbows to grab her own phone._

_"Same old, same old. You know it."_

_"Hmm yeah, don't I just," she muttered._

_Mina pressed the home button and locked her phone, putting it back on the bedside table. Turning to lay on her left side, she witnessed Momo roll her eyes at her phone before locking her own phone and resting it down._

_"Seen something undesirable?" Mina chuckled meekly._

_"Meh, as you said. Same old stuff. That side of the coin saying one thing and another side saying another."_

_"Mm yeah. We both know it by now." Mina readjusted her position in bed so she was lying on her back again. Momo mirrored her actions._

_They lied there in comfortable silence for a while, and it felt nice to do that._

_"Mina?" Momo muttered._

_"Mm?"_

_Momo swallowed thickly. She knew she had to come out and say it. She couldn't take this anymore._

_"I like you."_

_A smile appeared on Mina's face._

_"I like you too."_

_Momo smiled too. She then covered her face, cheeks heating up. Mina giggled, her gummy smile showing and that set Momo's heart aflame. She looked over at Mina's side profile and bit the inside of her bottom lip. Mina looked back at her. Their laughter became small grins._

_Then, Mina saw Momo's hand come out from underneath her duvet. Mina took her hand._

_"How are we gonna do this?" Momo asked, suddenly worried._

_Mina took a deep breath in, then out. She honestly didn't know. All she did know was Momo's touch was sending electricity through her._

_"We will work this out," Mina said softly._

_And just like that, hand in hand, with content smiles on their faces, they fell asleep._

_\--_

_The second day they took their time sightseeing. It was a day for them to relax a little and explore several parts of Japan._

_Their hands brushed constantly, but out of sight of their managers. They didn't want to raise any suspicion. If they were going to announce this to anyone, they were going to do it properly._

_But the entire day felt like a date._

_Mina blushed when Momo gifted her a stuffed toy penguin. Momo chuckled when Mina found a cute raccoon keyring. They were smiling and laughing the whole time and not once did they have a fight, shout at one another, or even so much as glare at each other._

_Eventually, Eunbyul and Jiseok noticed how close they were. They looked at each other with slightly confused expressions._

_Were they really the same Mina and Momo who threatened to beat each other up at the start of the year? Were they just acting like this so that they didn’t cause a scene? Were they acting up for their manager’s sake?_

_Whatever it was, the two of them were glad that the duo at least seemed to get along, for what it’s worth._

_And unbeknownst to their managers, for Mina and Momo, it meant so much._

_\--_

_“So, where do we stand?” Momo asked her the same question from before, but a lot softer this time as she sat on the end of her bed._

_Initially, Mina was going to sit beside her, but then chose to sit on the end of her bed._

_“I guess...we’re friends now?”_

_Momo scoffed a little and stared at her feet. But this time she didn’t start an argument. She didn’t want to fight with Mina anymore. She never wanted to fight with Mina._

_In her peripheral view she noticed the brunette put her head in her hands and groan, “Ugh, I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean that. We…” she lifted her head up, “we are friends.”_

_Gazing up at her through her lashes, Momo blinked a couple of times before saying, “Friends.” ‘But I want to be so much more than that.’_

_“Friends.” ‘But I want to be so much more.’_

_They smiled at one another. The desire, the urge to do something was there._

_So much so that Momo at that point despondently said, “Friends…” Her eyes flickered down to the floor._

_Mina immediately caught onto what she meant._

_In a slightly playful manner, she said, “We are, aren’t we?”_

_Momo bit her lip, “If that’s all you want to be, then, I suppose we are.”_

_Mina exhaled, “Momo, I--”_

_There was a knock at the door. This time, the younger of the two got up to answer it. Behind the door was Jiseok._

_“Oh! Hi. Sorry for interrupting, just wanted to remind you that we leave for the airport at 2pm tomorrow. But be ready by 9am, the event organisers from your fanmeet want to take you out for a nice breakfast and then a small tour of the surrounding city. Goodnight,” he said with a final smile before Mina nodded, smiling in return._

_“Goodnight, Jiseok.”_

_“Night, Jiseok,” Momo called from inside the bedroom._

_“Goodnight, Momo!” Jiseok whisper-shouted. He bowed before walking away, leaving Mina to shut the door. Momo ran a hand through her hair and pushed herself backwards up the bed. She climbed in properly and laid her head down. Thankfully, the two of them were already ready for bed._

_Sauntering back into the room, Mina saw Momo lying down on the bed. She huffed lightly, then turned off the main light and climbed into her own bed._

_“We’ve got the Oh! Boy! interview coming up on the 21st,” Mina muttered._

_“Yeah…” Momo replied, then turned to look at her. “Mina?” The brunette hummed. “When you said you liked me back, in what way did you mean?”_

_‘I thought it was obvious,’ Mina believed._

_She decided to deflect the question, “In what way did you mean?”_

_Momo gulped. A pause. “I like you, Mina. As in...I like you, a lot.”_

_Mina couldn’t pretend to be naive to what she meant._

_“I like you too, Momo.”_

_“Then why do we keep doing this?” Momo asked, clearly frustrated._

_“Because…” Mina was at a loss for words for an answer._

_Momo decided to be bluntly honest, “Why can’t I just go over there and kiss you, for fuck’s sake? Why won’t you come over here and kiss me? Why do we keep going around in circles?”_

_Mina stared at her, a little wide-eyed. If anyone could hear them right now…_

_Momo saw this look on her face, “Who cares if they found out? Our managers and the people around have got to know at some point! Mina...I’m not gonna fuck around any longer.” She pushed herself up from the bed and point-blank stated, “I’m in love with you.”_

_Her eyes were ardent, full of passion. She meant those words and said them with every ounce of power and conviction she had. And Mina felt it. Felt it to the core. Felt tears pool around her eyes._

_Choked out a weak, “I’m in love with you too.”_

_“Then come over here and kiss me.”_

_And Mina didn’t wait, didn’t hesitate. Pushed back her duvet and got up. And Momo was waiting for her._

_Mina climbed onto Momo’s bed. Their faces came dangerously close, their noses touching. Mina’s heart was beating so fast she could feel it in her chest. None of them could’ve imagined they’d be here. But they both wanted this. Needed this._

_Momo’s brought her left hand up to cup Mina’s cheek and immediately the brunette melted into her touch._

_“Kiss me,” Momo whispered against her lips. And so Mina wrapped her left hand around Momo’s neck and did just that. The kiss was so intense. Months of figuring out who they were to each other were poured into it, their ever-growing affection towards one another manifesting into a series of slow deep kisses that transitioned into quick pecks over and over again while they both chuckled and let their first tears fall. Mina then grabbed Momo’s hand and pulled her forward so Mina would be lying on her back, her hair sprawled out against the pillow._

_“God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” Momo breathed out._

_“You’re hot too, now come here,” Mina replied, before Momo dipped down to give what both of them needed. It wasn’t long before Momo’s lips found Mina’s neck and God, Mina had to stay quiet._

_“Shit,” she exhaled as Momo found the tiny spot underneath her ear. She entangled her fingers in Momo’s hair as the older woman pushed her body against Mina’s._

_Soon after, Mina switched their positions so she was on top, before her lips quickly found her collarbone and décolletage._

_“God,” Momo moaned._

_It was what they both needed. What they both wanted._

_Mina kissed her chest, then her neck before working her way up back to Momo’s lips again._

_When they pulled away to stare into each other’s eyes, Momo said, “Mina?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Be my girlfriend.”_

_“Absolutely,” Mina smirked._

_They kissed once more, and did so deep into the night until they fell asleep, their bodies tangled up in ecstasy over their hearts finally giving them what they had wanted for a while._

_\--_

_The breakfast the following morning and the tour seemed to go by a lot faster than the two of them thought. Maybe they were so dizzy from the previous night’s events that everything seemed to go by so fast._

_Their managers noticed something slightly different about them, but they couldn’t yet figure out what. They were just thankful that the flight back to Korea was a lot smoother and less awkward than the flight to Japan._

_On the car ride back to their respective company buildings, they had to refrain from kissing one another, which was a lot harder in practice than in theory. That didn’t stop the blushing or the giggling throughout the journey._

_Momo was the first person to be dropped off, and when she got out of the car, Mina joined her._

_‘To help her with her luggage, obviously.’_

_That’s when she turned to the driver and said, “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” The driver bowed and said he’d wait in the car._

_Momo mumbled to her, “What are you doing?” But, Mina told her that it would be okay._

_Once Momo noticed what she was doing, she made the light-hearted joke of Mina being a gentleman and escorting her back to her dorm. Mina chuckled and made a point of holding open every door and allowing Momo to walk first wherever she went, making Momo laugh the entire time._

_When they reached the dorm, Momo turned to her. “I uh...I guess I’ll see you for the Oh! Boy! interview?”_

_“Yes, indeed you will,” Mina replied with a small grin. Then, Momo looked back and forth, up and down the stairs, before stepping forward to kiss Mina on the lips, one that was briefly returned before Momo pulled away._

_“Bye, Mina.”_

_“Bye.”_

_When Momo walked into her dorm and shut the door behind her, the brunette exhaled._

_‘What the fuck is happening?’ Mina suddenly asked herself. But then she smiled._

_Her heart felt so full, and she left the company building feeling on top of the world._

_As did Momo, when she collapsed onto her sofa and did a fist pump._

_They were finally girlfriends._

_Finally._

_\--_

The day of the interview had quickly arrived, and several wardrobe and hair stylists as well as make-up artists were darting around all over the place, making sure that the duo looked perfect.

The concept of the photoshoot was simple make-up, very clean, very natural, and when Mina and Momo stepped out and saw each other’s outfits they had to stop their cheeks from turning red.

“Right, shall we begin?” the photographer said as they led the two women to the set. Mina was up first.

She sat down on the chair and posed in every which way, while behind the camera, Momo watched her with a proud smile on her face, her arms folded.

Her perfect features made her so photogenic, and Momo couldn’t help catching a glimpse of the photos that were coming through on the computer.

A little while later, it was Momo’s turn.

They switched places with a small smile as they passed one another.

Momo sat down on the chair and instantly became a model, her poses absolutely beautiful.

Mina observed with one hand on her hip and the other on the opposite shoulder. She was grinning uncontrollably.

Momo caught her eye every couple of seconds.

They could confidently say they loved each other.

But could they ever say that to the masses?

After their photoshoot was complete, and they had checked over the photos to make sure they were perfect, the two of them got ready for their interview.

They had no idea the kinds of questions they would be asked. It was all a gamble.

Taking their seats on a sofa in a specially set up room, they waited for their interviewer to arrive. The time was spent silently telling the other person that it was all going to be okay, and to take deep breaths, which they both did simultaneously.

This round of questions and answers went through the same or similar kinds of questions that they had been asked at their MLB photoshoot.

Until, one particular question came up that, in all honesty, Mina had almost forgotten about.

“Mina, your birthday was in March but, you never really told us what happened? The fans are curious!”

Mina chuckled lightly, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Her birthday.

She didn’t talk about what had happened on her birthday, because it wasn’t very eventful, and it ended with yet another argument between her and Momo. She didn’t want the public to be let in on that information, and she didn’t want to bring it up again, considering it was in the past and now, she and Momo were dating.

Something that a few months ago, was barely even a concept in their minds.

“Ah well, the thing is, my birthday was very uneventful.” The interviewer nodded in understanding as Mina continued. “I had a small get together with a few friends, of course Momo was there, it happened in my company building. But it wasn’t anything massive, just a bit of food, some drinks, we had music playing. I didn’t go out of my way to have a huge birthday celebration.”

“Ah, I see,” the interviewer said, “but was it still fun?”

Mina could see Momo looking at her. “Of course, it was quite a bit of fun. It was a nice, pleasant time.”

The man across from them nodded and took down notes as Mina quickly glanced over at Momo. Her girlfriend.

 _Thank you,_ Momo mouthed.

 _Don’t mention it,_ Mina mouthed in response with a smile.

Off set, their managers could see this exchange.

“I think something’s going on between them,” Eunbyul claimed.

“I agree with you,” Jiseok said with a sigh.

It was only a matter of time.


	13. July: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [JULY: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2axXEXYAIH3Br?format=jpg&name=medium)

How did July come around so fast?

It was a shock to the duo that they were already over halfway through the year. They also still couldn’t get over the fact that they had been girlfriends for just over a month.

Momo ran a hand through her hair as she walked into the kitchen to make herself a late lunch. It always came as a surprise to her that promotions for songs ended so quickly, but she knew in a couple of days, her and Mina were going to start preparing for their _next_ mini album.

 _‘Why did they decide three mini albums in a year was a good plan?’_ she exhaled as she opened the fridge to find something to eat. Sat on the second shelf, wrapped up in foil was an extra roll of kimbap that she made the day before. She hummed to herself as she pulled it out and shut the fridge.

Walking over to the counter to set it down, she felt her phone buzz; Momo pulled it out and read the message.

 **_mina_ ** **_♥_ **

**_check twitter! check twitter! check twitter!!!!_ **

Momo blinked at her phone as she quickly backed out of the messaging app and went onto Twitter. Her eyes widened at the first thing she saw.

_‘Holy shit…’_

It was already a trending topic and her timeline was filled with tweets about it.

Nayeon and Jihyo’s collaboration.

“Coming soon…” she said to herself. Tapping the home button then the contacts app, she scrolled down until she found Nayeon’s name. Putting the phone to her ear, she waited for the dial tone to stop.

 _“Hello! I’m supposing you saw our tweets!”_ Nayeon said excitedly.

“Didn’t I just?” Momo chuckled, drumming her fingers on the kitchen counter, her tone a little distant.

_“Well, excited?”_

“Yeah! Of course just, _how_ soon?”

Nayeon gasped. _“You know I can’t tell you that, it’s a secret!”_

“Can Jihyo tell me?” Momo could tell Nayeon was making a face on the other end. “Okay, didn’t think that would work anyway.”

Nayeon chuckled then said, _“Wait a minute... you’re worried about your upcoming album and if our song is gonna come out at the same time!”_

“Well, only because I don’t wanna compete with you!” Nayeon erupted in laughter at that. “What’s so funny?”

 _“Don’t worry about it, it will come out before your album does don’t worry.”_ Nayeon was still chuckling. Momo could hear someone in the distance giggling too.

“Is that Jihyo with you?” Falling silent, Momo heard a small commotion going on before, a few seconds later, Jihyo appeared on the phone. “Oh, hey Jihyo!”

_“Hey, Momo! How are you doing?”_

“Not too bad. Can’t wait to hear what your new collaboration is gonna be! What’s the title?”

Jihyo tilted her head to the side and pleaded with Nayeon, but the older woman simply shook her head. _“Sorry, girlfriend said I couldn’t-- I mean, wait!”_

“Wait, what? Girlfriend?” Momo was immediately confused.

_“Uh, yeah you know! I mean like, friend who is a girl!”_

“Jihyo, come on, you and I both know that definition of the term is extremely outdated and nowadays if you say _girlfriend,_ you mean, _girlfriend.”_

Jihyo pulled an awkward face as Nayeon covered hers with one hand, sighing. She then held out her hand to take back the phone and Jihyo gladly passed it back over.

 _“Hey, Momo,”_ Nayeon sighed.

“Nabongs, what’s going on? Are you and Jihyo...dating?”

Clasping a hand over her mouth, Nayeon turned to Jihyo and silently asked for her permission to tell Momo, which the younger woman eventually granted. _“Yes. We are.”_ Jihyo urged her to tell Momo how long they had been together. _“We...have been for almost two years.”_

Momo nearly fell to the floor.

“Two _years?”_ she almost shouted. “Two _years?”_ she repeated, louder this time.

_“Yes, yes, look, there’s a reason we didn’t say anything…”_

“Wait a minute, but if you’ve been together two years...that means you got together in 2016, a _year_ after your collab!”

 _“Yes,”_ Nayeon begins, _“soon after we did our collab we realised that we...shared mutual feelings. We started secretly hanging out more and then...August 2016 we got together!”_

Nayeon recalled the story like it was the easiest thing to have done.

“I genuinely, _genuinely,_ can’t believe this.” Momo puts her free hand behind her head and gently grips her hair. “I mean, I can believe it, but I also... _can’t_ believe it. Like it makes sense, but I also don’t get it. But like I absolutely _do_ get it…”

Nayeon bit her bottom lip and glanced over at Jihyo. _“Just make sure you don’t tell anyone...please?”_

“Of course not! That’s what we do!” Momo replied. “But, can I let Mina know?”

_“Oh! Well, of course, I mean, you are a duo.”_

_‘That we are.’_ “Okay, thanks. I’ll um, speak to you later.”

_“Yeah, speak to you later.”_

Momo hung up the phone and put it face down on the counter. Unwrapping the foil, she got a knife and began cutting a few slices of beef kimbap to eat as she thought about how she was going to tell Mina.

After her fourth piece, she picked up her phone and went to her messages.

**_are you busy right now?♥_ **

**_mina ♥_ **

**_not right now, why?♥_ **

**_we need to meet up, i need to tell you something_ **

**_mina♥_ **

**_oh.. do you want to come to my dorm, or should i go to yours? or shall we meet someplace different?_ **

Momo clicked her tongue and considered her options.

**_let me go to your dorm, say in the next half an hour?_ **

**_mina♥_ **

**_okay! i shall see you then :)_ **

**_see you then :)_ **

It was already risky going to Mina’s dorm before.

Momo knew she was taking a _bigger_ risk now.

\--

“They’re together? Are you serious?” Mina asked Momo, leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms folded.

“Yep. Jihyo let it slip and then she tried to pass it off that she meant _friend who was a girl.”_ Mina let a chuckle out and shook her head.

“And nearly two years too?” Momo nodded. “Wow.” Pushing herself off the counter, the brunette walked towards Momo and stood beside her, placing her head on her shoulder. “I wonder how they were able to keep it hidden for so long.”

“Makes you think, doesn’t it?” Momo felt Mina nodded against her shoulder. “About us?” she smirked. Mina tugged at her bottom lip and lifted her head to look at Momo. Her eyes travelled around the room before she briefly looked at Momo’s lips, then her eyes.

Momo lifted her eyebrow then leaned in closer. Her breath was hot on Mina’s face and a pink tint reached Mina’s cheeks. “I guess so,” the brunette finally replied, bringing her face even closer so that their noses were touching.

“Hmm, do you want me to kiss you right now, Myoui?”

“Mm, I’m not sure. Would you like _me_ to kiss _you?”_

“Is that even a question?” Momo teased, clicking her tongue.

They were about to kiss when there was a knock at the door.

Staring at each other, they silently panicked a little and ran around figuring out what to do. Finally, Momo decided to hide in the bathroom, and she locked the door when she went in.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she sat down on the toilet lid as there was another knock.

“Coming!” Mina called out before jogging to the door. She opened it and standing there were the members of SMC.

“Hey, Minari!” greeted Chaeyoung with a wide smile on her face.

“Oh, hey! What’s up?” the brunette asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Did you know Nayeon and Jihyo are collaborating again?” Dahyun beamed, clapping her hands excitedly.

“Yes! I did,” Mina responded with a similar smile on her face, still conscious that Momo had locked herself in the bathroom.

“Exciting, right?” Tzuyu grinned.

“Yeah! Really is exciting,” Mina answered, hand on hip; as much as she loved the girls and wanted to stand there for hours and talk about it, Momo was probably pacing back and forth in the bathroom, hoping that no one would try and enter.

Momo stared at the lock, _‘God I hope no one tries it. If I unlocked it though, someone would just walk in and see me. Jesus…’_ She tried to suppress an anxious whimper, burying her face in her hands.

“So, what are you up to?” Chaeyoung wondered, trying to peek inside the apartment, hinting that they planned on asking Mina to go out with them.

“Um,” Mina thought up a quick excuse, “busy, trying to uh, write...new songs!”

The trio didn’t seem convinced. “You and Momo are gonna start doing that tomorrow though,” Tzuyu noted.

Mina couldn’t think of anything else to say. Dahyun narrowed her eyes, noticing Mina looked a little like a deer in the headlights.

“Are you...okay?” she inquired.

“Um, yes! Yes, absolutely fine. Totally.” Mina nodded repeatedly, to which the trio exchanged looks, even _less_ convinced.

“Are you hiding something?” Chaeyoung pointed a finger and Mina hid her lips.

“No, why would I be?” Mina hesitated. She suddenly tensed up at hearing the sound of the bathroom lock.

“Are you sure you okay?” Tzuyu knitted her eyebrows. Mina blinked and smiled, trying to ignore the sound of what was obviously Momo unlocking the bathroom. She prayed that the trio couldn’t hear it.

They didn’t, but could tell that Mina was definitely hiding something.

Dahyun’s voice was soft as she said, “You know, you can tell us anything right?”

Mina sighed. “I _do_ know, but…” She had an internal conflict over whether she should tell them; a part of her thought that she should tell them right now, but then a bigger part thought about Momo and whether she was ready to tell others yet. She knew that Momo hadn’t even told Taehyung or Jin or Hoseok or Nayeon, they hadn’t told Jihyo, or their managers, or their bosses. “It’s something I can’t exactly...tell you right now.”

“Okay,” Dahyun replied, and she looked at her fellow members, silently telling them to not push it.

Chaeyoung nodded and said, “Okay, but you know we’re here if you need anything right?”

Mina nodded and Tzuyu added, “We’re sorry, we shouldn’t have pushed it so much.”

“It’s okay, honestly. It’s just, not right now,” Mina almost pleaded, smiling, which the trio returned before they all hugged and SMC bid her goodbye.

Mina stood at the doorway and watched them go. She breathed out after shutting the door.

At that point, Momo left the bathroom, “Well...that was...nerve-wracking.”

“Don’t need to tell me,” Mina chuckled slightly. “I know you weren’t ready to let people know yet, and neither am I to be honest. It will be a shock to everyone.”

“Yeah...I just...want to wait for a while,” Momo emphasised, walking up to her girlfriend.

“Me too,” Mina agreed, resting her hands on Momo’s waist as Momo wrapped her arms around Mina’s neck. They kissed quickly before hugging. “I love you, Momo.”

“I love you too, Minari.”

To which Mina smiled.

\--

“I still can’t believe you let slip to them that we’re together,” Nayeon said after a few minutes of silence, lifting her mug to take a sip as they sat in the recording studio.

Jihyo sighed, “I’m sorry! It was truly a slip of the tongue.”

“And then you tried to get away with that excuse,” Nayeon added, snorting. Jihyo glared at her then gently hit her forearm, to which Nayeon laughed louder before putting her mug down.

“Okay, sorry about that,” the older woman poked her tongue out.

Jihyo shook her head before leaning forward to surprise Nayeon with a kiss on the lips. “I _am_ sorry about accidentally telling them,” Jihyo said to her genuinely.

“I forgive you,” Nayeon replied.

Jihyo drew back, “Were you planning on telling them?”

“I _was,_ and it’s not like I don’t trust them, I guess it was just shocking to hear you say it like that.” Nayeon looked over at the younger woman, who suddenly grew a little self-conscious.

“Was there… Did I…”

“Oh! No…” Nayeon chuckled. “There was nothing wrong! In fact I...kinda liked you referring to me as your girlfriend,” she smirked.

Jihyo rolled her eyes, “You act like we’ve only been girlfriends for like...three weeks.”

Nayeon smiled, “I’m just lucky to be your girlfriend.”

Tilting her head to the side, Jihyo smiled fondly, “I’m lucky to be yours too. I can’t wait to release _Roses.”_

“Me too! It’s gonna be amazing,” Nayeon replied, sighing contently. She rested her elbow on her armchair. “Maybe they’ll notice the subtle messages we’re trying to send.”

“What, that we’re hopelessly in love with one another?”

Nayeon bit the inside of her bottom lip, “The reactions were absolutely insane.”

“That they were,” Jihyo adjusted herself in her seat. “I keep seeing that edit everywhere.”

“Oh what! Of us two from when we first collabed and then the times we hung out afterwards?”

“And then those videos we posted of us two hanging out.”

“And then when we got together in 2016 and posted pictures afterwards and the comments were _crazy!”_

The two of them laughed. “Maybe they _have_ picked up on our messages,” Jihyo exhaled.

“Well if they have...then I think that’s amazing.”

Jihyo glanced over, “Truly amazing.”

They interlocked hands in the centre, before Nayeon lifted Jihyo’s hand to kiss the back of it.

Nearly two years had passed and they promised two years more.


	14. July: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [JULY: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2a8CsWsAMCMOU?format=png&name=small)

For MiMo, it felt like a lifetime since they released their first mini album. All they recalled was working day in and day out to try and get it prepared, and then travelling to and from different cities as well as to another country in order to promote it.

Throughout July, they were back at square one. Although realising their feelings for each other and discovering where their baseless and unnecessary feud came from and becoming girlfriends had its pros, and its cons.

The pros? They were no longer biting each other’s heads off. Songwriting sessions became cute dates where halfway through they shared ice cream and lots of kissing was involved. Rehearsing in the practice studio became a game of who would break first watching the other person dance and trying not to be obvious. Plenty of wandering eyes and a couple of talks about staying at one another’s dorm.

Which led to the cons. They would always have eyes on them. There would always be people looking to see if they’ve got along better and those same people would be surprised to hear that yes, they _were_ getting along better, without knowing that while their backs were turned the two “rivals” were making out.

And then there was the media. It always liked to soak up whatever hot new story they could get on whatever fight they were having, but noticed that since the beginning of June, nothing had happened. Or so they thought. At least, not on the negative side.

There were people who were happy that the two seemed to not hate each other anymore, there were people who thought that it was enough evidence that MiMo are _so real,_ and that people should _stop hating,_ then, there were the suspicious few.

_they’ve always found a way to be bitter and hate on each other and now suddenly there’s no such evidence???_

_maybe they’re sick of people who go out of their way to find scraps of evidence, they DON’T HATE EACHOTHER!!_

_you don’t know that lmao they might just be sick of doing it so publicly because they know it’ll damage their image_

_alright then, maybe it’s just none of our business but whatever, keep believing you’re entitled to know_

Sometimes the duo would see these tweets. These conversations. They would think about them constantly. Then the other person would come over and tell them to not worry about what the tweets say, and remind them that they don’t owe anyone anything. In a way, they felt like hypocrites whenever they did that, but it was something that the two of them were still trying to learn for themselves.

There were also the people around them to think about. Their managers. Their bosses. Their labelmates. Their closest friends. Their families.

Public enemies turned temporary duo turned girlfriends.

Didn’t seem to be a convincing flow chart of events.

The two of them often talked about how they should tell them at some point. How they didn’t want them to get wind of it randomly, especially if that lead to them not mentioning it for a while. Mina and Momo wanted to be the ones to tell them, in their own time.

Except for two people.

The day after the duo had recorded the songs for their second mini album, they sat in their main practice room in Jihyo’s company, laughing together, and of course, acting adorable, as a couple would do.

When there was a knock at the door.

Momo’s hands were on Mina’s waist as she sat on the table, with Mina standing in between her legs, her hands on Momo’s shoulders.

They both looked towards the door but realised it was too late when Jiseok and Eunbyul stepped into the room.

Mina and Momo tried putting distance between them, but weren’t fast enough, and there seemed to be no point anyway.

“We could see you through the window,” Eunbyul stated, folding her arms as Jiseok shut the door.

“What’s going on?” Jiseok asked.

The duo stared at each other. They knew they had been caught out.

Swallowing the lump that was starting to form in her throat, Mina’s eyes darted towards the ceiling. She then felt Momo take her hand and fill the gap between her fingers.

“We’re together,” Momo said. Her voice was a little distant and small. Both of them had no idea how their managers would react to seeing them like this; they thought they would at least have a _choice_ in _when_ they got to tell other people. Obviously, that wasn’t the case with the two standing opposite them.

“So...that’s it now? No more fighting?” Eunbyul asked, folding her arms. Mina and Momo looked at her with raised eyebrows, like she didn’t believe what they were saying.

“Well...yes,” said Mina.

“Not gonna go back to biting each other’s heads off when we’re gone?” Jiseok questioned. And the duo let go of each other’s hand to mirror their managers.

“What?” wondered Eunbyul, as both she and Jiseok stood there, silently questioning them the entire time.

“It _really_ seems like you don’t believe us,” Momo stated.

“Not gonna lie to you, Momo, you two never really had a track record of being nice to each other where I _would_ believe that you two are an item now.”

Momo rolled her eyes while Mina put her hands on her hips and kicked at the ground.

“So, how did this happen?” Jiseok asked.

It was an awkwardly told explanation and by the end of it, Eunbyul and Jiseok looked _more_ confused.

“So...basically...you discovered that the entire root of you ‘feud’ was...needless jealousy?” Jiseok puzzled.

The duo nodded and the managers sighed as they looked at one another.

“Well...I guess...I mean...if you’re together, good for you. I mean good for you for finally sorting your shit out but, wow...didn’t expect _this_ to come from it,” Eunbyul admitted.

Mina and Momo glanced at one another. _‘Neither did we.’_

“And as your managers, we’ll make sure to protect you two, not just individuals and a duo but now also a couple, and we won’t divulge any information to others unless you give us permission to,” Jiseok added.

The duo nodded and thanked them profusely, before sharing a group hug in the middle of the small practice room.

It was exactly what the two women needed at that stage.

\--

A week before the logo teaser was released, and Mina and Momo were chilling in Momo’s dorm, figuring out who they should tell and how they should tell them, and if they should come up with a specific order of people.

“I want to tell Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu first before anyone else, they are the closest people to me, but then the closest person to you is Taehyung. That’s one versus three which is unfair,” Mina explained.

“Well, Taehyung would then lead to Jin, which would be two, and I could tell Hoseok alongside that,” proposed Momo.

“Ah but then Hoseok could lead to Namjoon which would for sure lead to Yoongi. And I can’t forget about Jeongyeon.”

“And we can’t forget about Nayeon and Jihyo. And next to Taehyung, the closest person to me is Nayeon. Which would...then lead to Jihyo.”

“Jihyo could lead to Seungwan and Joohyun. And you can’t forget about TATTOO, Seulgi, Jaebeom and Yugyeom.”

“And we can’t forget about our bosses too,” Momo said hesitantly.

“We _can’t_ tell them!”

“I know we can’t,” Momo confessed. “And telling our fans means the two of them would _certainly_ find out.”

They pondered over it for what felt like hours until there was a knock on the door. Momo tip-toed towards it and pulled the cover of the peephole to the side. Looking back, she whispered, “It’s Taehyung and Jin!”

Mina pulled an awkward face and stood up straight, biting her bottom lip. She felt bad that she kept it from SMC, but it was a slightly different time then.

Two people had already found out, and she was now in a position to tell more people at a gradual pace. If Momo wanted to as well, that is.

They gazed at one another. “Do you want to tell them now?” Momo asked in a low voice. Another knock. “Be there in a minute!” she shouted.

Mina thought about it. Thought about it harder. She then remembered someone else that they had forgotten.

How could they have forgotten Sana?

Shaking her head vehemently, Mina mouthed, _Sana._

Momo’s eyes widened, _‘Fuck! How could I forget?’_ The brunette moved to hide in the bedroom while the dark-haired woman took a deep breath in and opened the door with a smile.

“Hey!” she greeted the two of them.

“Hi! Can we come in? It’s just we’ve got some really exciting news and we don’t want to stand out here to say it,” Taehyung told her.

Momo clicked her tongue before opening the door a lot wider and allowing the couple to walk in.

Taehyung and Jin waltzed into the dorm, hand in hand and went to sit down on the sofa as Momo shut the door and followed them. Sitting on the two-seater while the pair sat down on the three-seater, Momo asked what their exciting news was.

They looked at one another and Taehyung nodded at Jin, prompting him to say it, “We’re finally getting married!”

Momo’s mouth gaped open in surprise and she clapped, cheering for them. “That’s awesome! I’m so happy for the both of you!”

In the bedroom, Mina listened to their conversation and smiled to herself, ecstatic for the couple.

“Yeah, Taehyung _finally,”_ they exchanged looks and the younger male laughed as Jin explained, _“finally_ proposed to me.”

Momo wore the brightest and broadest smile she could and said, “That’s so great to hear! I’m so happy for you.”

A long chat began about where they would be having their wedding, honeymoon destinations they had been discussing, who was going to be invited (which of course included Momo and Mina), and even the kind of cake that they could have.

All the while Momo sat there, taking in their smiles, their happiness and their obvious affection for one another. She always wished absolutely nothing but the best for them. And Mina did too.

\--

“I can’t fucking believe we forgot about Sana!” Momo exclaimed once Taehyung and Jin were gone and they were both sat in the living room. Momo laid on the sofa with Mina lying in between her legs, her head on Momo’s chest.

“We should probably tell her now…” Mina insisted. “Before anyone else.”

Momo nodded in agreement and said, “How? Should we just drop her a text saying _hey, me and Mina are dating, now you can shut up about it?”_

Mina chuckled and shook her head, “No. We should tell her to come and see us when she’s not busy, which granted, it could be a long time before she is.”

“Oh no, not if it concerns us. She wants to be filled in with all of the gossip when it comes to us.”

“Hm, I guess you’re right.” There was a short, somewhat dramatic pause. “But we should tell her next.”

“You’re right, we should.”

\--

Sana entered Jihyo’s company building with a bright smile on her face and she waved at everyone she passed. Suddenly, she saw Jihyo in the distance and caught her attention.

Jihyo, who was speaking to a member of staff, saw Sana wave from afar and quickly ended her conversation to go and greet the model.

“Hello, Miss Minatozaki, and what can I do for you?” she asked, grinning.

“Good afternoon, Miss Park. I am here to see a certain duo who asked for me?”

“Ah yes, they’re in one of the offices upstairs. Let me take you,” she smiled, leading Sana who quickly thanked her as she followed.

Upstairs, Jihyo walked down the corridor looking left and right until she saw the office that Mina and Momo were in. The duo could see Jihyo approaching and straightened their backs as they sat in their chairs.

Jihyo opened the door and allowed Sana to enter the room. “Thank you very much, Miss Park.”

“You’re welcome, Miss. See you soon!” Jihyo shut the door, leaving the trio to whatever business they had to discuss.

“Let me guess,” Sana began, sitting down, “you need a beautiful model to be in your teaser pictures?” It was a tease, a joke, but once Sana saw the looks on their faces, she suddenly thought she had walked into a danger zone. “Uh-oh, something smells of another pointless argument you two have had.”

“Incorrect,” Momo stated matter-of-factly.

“In fact, we have some news to share,” Mina added.

And right in front of Sana, the two of them kissed.

Sana sat there, absolutely frozen.

It was dramatic, sure, but they thought of Sana’s motto: _I’ll believe that when I see it._

So, they showed rather than told.

“Holy fuck,” Sana blurted out. “What the fuck happened here then?”

“You were right,” Momo explained, “our feud was nothing. It was born out of jealousy, and even _that_ was needless.”

“So, you kissed and made up and everything’s cool now?” Sana asked bluntly.

“Or more to the point we were both sick of going around in circles when behind the scenes we actually grew to like each other a lot, and in the hotel during our last night in Japan, we kissed for the first time and started dating,” Mina declared, with an equal amount of bluntness.

Sana sat back in her chair. “Well...fuck me.”

“We just decided to show you instead of announce it. Thought you might believe it more that way,” Momo revealed.

“Well I’m...certainly a _little_ surprised but at the same time...not surprised at all. I just think I’m more surprised with _how_ you decided to tell me or rather, _show_ me.”

“That’s the point,” said Mina, “we just wanted to get the message across.”

“And you certainly did that,” Sana applauded.

The couple stared at one another and smiled. Sana saw the same thing between them as she did all those months ago.

She knew they never hated each other. It was just a matter of figuring that out.

And boy, she’s thankful that they finally did.

\--

The day the logo teaser was released everyone had so many questions to ask about the concept and theme.

Momo and Mina knew themselves. Knew what they wanted to convey with this next mini album.

They kept the details of the theme close to their heart, and hoped that once the album was released, people would slowly start to understand.

“The title track is called _Poems for You,”_ Mina dramatically recited in the mirror, “it’s a story of love, trust and acceptance.”

“Or, us being hopeless romantics,” Momo joked as she stood behind Mina and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

“Hey! There’s a lot more to the song than that!”

“I know! I know! I was just joking. There are many layers to this song. I hope they can see what we’re trying to tell them.” She rested her chin on Mina’s shoulder and Mina leaned her head against Momo’s.

“So do I.”

After a few seconds, Momo kissed Mina’s shoulder, then the space between her shoulder and neck, then her jaw. Mina leaned back against Momo’s shoulder as the older woman went back to pressing warm kisses to her neck. Her fingers danced against Mina’s sides and the brunette tried not to giggle.

Momo’s hands went lower, towards Mina’s thighs, and it was then that Mina stopped giggling and started melting.

She wanted Momo to stop teasing. Was it too soon? What day was it? How long had they been together? Everything seemed to disappear from Mina’s mind as the feeling of Momo’s lips on her skin took over every thought.

Her head was empty, but Momo’s hands were nearing an area that Mina desperately wanted them to be.

It was then that Momo kissed the spot behind Mina’s ear, and she thought she was going to go crazy, but then Momo kissed her cheek and slowly slipped away from her.

Resting her hands on the sides of the sink, Mina looked back, cheeks burning and said, “You’re such a fucking tease.”

Momo smirked and winked at her before leaving the bathroom. Mina clicked her tongue and shook her head, trying to suppress a chuckle.

She walked back into her bedroom as Momo climbed into her bed. The second time they would be sleeping together. Momo tapped the empty space beside her and Mina laughed then before joining her.

“I’ll say it again, _you,”_ with a kiss to Momo’s lips, “are a goddamn tease!”

“Don’t I know it?”

They chuckled before turning off their bedside lamps and cuddling closer. They kissed once, twice, three times, and some more before Mina rested her head on Momo’s chest and they fell asleep just like that.

_Every word I said to you,_

_I’m sorry for this, I’m sorry for this._

_Everything I say is true,_

_I’m sorry for this._

_\- Mina_

_Everything I do for you now,_

_I promise this, I promise this._

_This is my most sworn to vow,_

_I promise this._

_\- Momo_

_Poems to You, chorus_


	15. August: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AUGUST: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2bMVdXgAAS7wj?format=png&name=small)

_oh my god...this is too much of a coincidence… what if they’re singing this song about EACH OTHER??_

_delusional fans thinking those lyrics about themselves to one another… clowns_

_mina’s lines in the chorus are “i’m sorry for this” and then momo’s lines are “i promise you this” what if they ARE singing about each other and their feud and they’re learning to get along and they apologise and they’re promising to be better people for each other--_

_guys it’s CLEARLY a song to the fans they’re OBVIOUSLY writing those lyrics about us_

_“this is a song for the fans” when the song LITERALLY opens with “at first i didn’t know where these feelings came from”.... yeah sure this song is for the fans_

_whatever this songs about or whoever its for you can tell they’re still just playing along for us right??_

“You need to stop looking at Twitter, honestly,” Mina calmly spoke, taking a seat on Momo’s lap and covering the phone screen with her hand.

Momo locked her phone and threw it behind her onto the bed and said, “Where am I _supposed_ to look?”

“Uh, me is a good start,” Mina replied, tilting Momo’s chin to look at her. Momo snorted at that and glanced up into Mina’s soft eyes, perfectly reflecting the light above them.

“I guess that _is_ a good start,” Momo hummed, Mina already leaning down to plant a kiss on her lips, which Momo happily reciprocated, the brunette’s hand moving to cup her cheek.

The kiss lasted mere seconds before someone knocked at the door. Mina pulled away gently and the two of them knocked foreheads. “Mm, wonder who that could be,” she said lazily.

“This is _your_ dorm!” Momo responded, laughing. Mina rolled her eyes before getting up off her girlfriend’s lap and padding towards the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Nayeon and Jihyo. It was a surprise to her, and she turned to Momo and mouthed to her who it was. Momo hid her lips before shrugging; the younger woman then shooed her away to hide in the bedroom.

Momo shut the bedroom door before Mina opened the front door.

“Right, what’s going on?” Nayeon immediately said, bursting through the door, Jihyo on her tail. Momo was taken aback as she heard Nayeon's voice stood behind the bedroom door.

“Yes, hello, nice to see you, come in…” Mina said; her words trailed off in a slightly annoyed tone as she shut the door.

“What’s going on? Or more to the point, where is she?” Nayeon asked, folding her arms.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play innocent with us,” Jihyo spoke up, pointing at Mina, “we need to know what’s going on and where Momo is.”

Mina bit down on her tongue as she slowly saw the door open. Nayeon and Jihyo turned their bodies to see Momo standing there in an oversized top with no trousers on. Mina let her eyes flutter shut as the couple in between them slowly faced her again.

“I don’t think we need an explanation… I think we’ve seen all we needed to see,” Nayeon stated, about to head out alongside Jihyo when Mina stopped them.

“Wait, don’t you wanna know how this happened?” Her eyes flickered to Momo, who had since put on some pyjama bottoms and walked out into the living room.

“Do we need to know?” Jihyo asked, looking back and forth between the couple. She scoffed a laugh and said, “It’s pretty obvious.”

Mina knitted her eyebrows together; she and Momo exchanged confused looks.

“It’s fine! You’re fucking! Not a big deal!” Nayeon exclaimed, and Mina’s eyes widened.

“Do you want to say that any louder?” Mina whisper-shouted. She covered her face with one hand and rested the other on the door handle for support. Momo stepped forward towards the other couple and told them the two of them weren’t fucking, to which Nayeon and Jihyo stood to the side to take a proper look at them.

“Okay fine, so you’re not _fucking,_ but, you’re in a relationship, yes?” Nayeon asked openly. The duo nodded. “Right. Okay then.”

“Are you two not shocked at all?” Momo questioned.

“Well...maybe a little bit,” Jihyo said quite casually, and Momo and Mina stared at each other. Jihyo elaborated, “Well the thing is, we both kinda knew that you two had the hots for each other. The way you kept staring…how you two had _obviously_ started flirting with one another.” The couple’s cheeks went bright red and hot to the touch. They weren’t being obvious, were they? “And let’s be real, your feud was nothing.”

The redness in their cheeks began to fade a little, and they hummed in unison in response.

“So, you’ve finally worked shit out and got together, huh?” Nayeon wondered. The other couple nodded as Momo held out her hand. Mina approached her and took it, resting her head on the dark-haired woman’s shoulder.

“Aww, cute!” Nayeon responded, a lopsided smile appearing on her face as Jihyo briefly cupped her own cheeks at how adorable they were being.

“So wait, this was what you wanted to see Sana about?” Jihyo asked, the couple nodding in response. “Ah, I see.”

“Well, I guess we should let them get back to whatever they were doing.” The lopsided smile from Nayeon became a light-hearted smirk and Jihyo mirrored her expression as they were slowly pushed towards the front door.

“Don’t forget! M!Countdown tomorrow! Be up bright and early,” Jihyo reminded them.

“We will!” Momo and Mina said simultaneously. 

Nayeon and Jihyo nodded at them before the older of the two leaned forward and whispered, “The lyrics in _Poems for You_ also kinda helped us work it out.” She then backed away and linked hands with Jihyo as they both waved and walked away.

Mina shut the door to her dorm and faced Momo; they shook their heads before holding hands and walking into the lounge.

“Were we too obvious with the song?” Mina wondered.

“Hmm,” Momo thought, remembering the tweets she saw earlier. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Mina giggled before they snuggled together on the sofa.

_Maybe. Maybe not._

\--

The staging for their second song was more peaceful; a complete contrast to their debut song with neon lights everywhere and pyrotechnics. This comeback was more serene, and the dancing was a lot calmer, with handheld microphones instead.

It gave the audience a chance to see more of their chemistry on stage, and how much it had changed since their first song.

_wow... look at the way they look at one another_

_mimo in love confirmed_

_are you seeing this?? like they are literally brushing shoulders and hands and shit and you’re telling this is ALL FAKE??_

_groups do fanservice all the time...this is just what they’re doing_

As soon as they arrived backstage, they were greeted by their managers praising them.

“Well done on your stage! Such beautiful voices, you harmonise amazingly!” exclaimed Eunbyul with the brightest smile on her face, still trying to hide the fact that she and Jiseok were the only two that knew about MiMo’s relationship.

“Brilliant work, MiMo, you did well out there!” Jiseok added. Mina and Momo bowed and smiled at them in response.

“Did you know? You’ve been nominated for a music show win! You’ve gotta get back out there after everyone’s performed and see if you’ve won!” Eunbyul told them excitedly.

Mina and Momo exchanged looks. The two of them weren’t sure if they had won, and their managers could see this doubt on their faces.

“Oh come on, you two have won for sure!” Jiseok hyped them up. “There’s no way you _haven’t_ won!”

The duo shrugged, still a little doubtful. It was just a waiting game.

\--

After everyone had performed, all of the groups were invited back onto the stage to see who would be picking up a music show win. Mina and Momo weren’t nominated first time round, which caused very polarising reactions.

_umm two popular soloists have become a duo but they’re not nominated for a music show win for their debut?? that’s fishy mnet_

_they probably weren’t nominated because they’re like a project duo?? idk tho i could be totally wrong_

They stood beside one another on the stage. Mina began picking at her nails while Momo had her hands clasped together in front. It was only a matter of time before they would find out.

The two MCs welcomed everyone to the show, telling jokes and being their usual entertaining selves. Mina was nervous, and at one point Momo had to stop her from pulling her entire fingernail off.

The moment finally came; they contemplated holding onto one another’s hand for support, but opted to just stand _really_ close to one another.

“MiMo! Congratulations!” the MC suddenly shouted as MiMo’s name and picture were shown on the screen. Their first music show win as a duo. A landslide victory of 9723 points.

“Oh my gosh,” Mina whispered as Momo turned around to take the award. The two of them bowed to the MC then the audience as Momo handed Mina the award. She then lifted her microphone to speak.

“Um...wow, oh my gosh. We never expected this to happen! Thank you guys so much for all of your support, it means the world to us! Please, keep supporting and loving MiMo, we will continue to work hard! Thank you so much MiMonators!” Momo spoke, using the fandom name.

Mina then decided to say something, “Yes, thank you so much to our fans. We really didn’t expect this, this is such a surprise! Thank you, thank you! Your support means everything! We love you!”

“We love you!”

They held the award together and smiled at one another.

Getting lost in each other’s eyes was never difficult.

\--

“Woo! Congratulations on your win ladies!” Eunbyul cheered when they entered the dressing room.

“Congrats on your first music show win!” Jiseok added, clapping. The rest of the staff applauded them too and they smiled broadly at everyone in the room. Putting their award down on one of the tables, they began getting ready to go back to their dorm. Have a shower. Have something to eat.

Mina looked to Momo. “Your dorm tonight?” she whispered, to which Momo nodded before they grinned shyly at one another.

Pictures scattered across the internet, the video of them winning their first music show award quickly growing in views. Everyone paid attention to their win, how happy they were, the message they sent and also...how they looked at one another.

_did you see the way momo looked at mina? true love right there_

_seriously she’s just happy she and mina won the award...why do you have to make everything about their ship??_

_why can’t you just be happy they won their first music award? jesus_

_okay but like...did you see how close they were before their name was announced? i think they’re good friends you just hate to see it. we’re obvs happy that they won but like, we’re also happy that it looks like they’re actually friends now??_

Everything they did split their fans down the middle. With every cursory glance they gave to their Twitter feed, it was filled with news stories about them.

“Can we just...ditch the internet for tonight? Have food? Make out on the sofa?” Momo pouted at her girlfriend.

“Says you who was doing the exact same thing yesterday!” Mina replied to her as they were about to leave through the back door of the studio. Momo raised an eyebrow at her. Mina exhaled, “But you’re right. Let’s just wear each other’s clothes, lay all over the couch and be gross and adorable while eating pizza. Cool?”

Momo smiled warmly. “Cool.”

With interlocked hands, they exited through the back door. Paying no mind to anyone around them. No mind to anyone who might see them. No mind to the fact that at that exact moment, a group of people were onto them.

From afar, with a camera, they took pictures of the two of them leaving the building and getting into the car. Hand in hand, with the biggest grins on their faces.

Mina and Momo didn’t care about what was being said on the internet for the rest of the night. They did exactly what they said they were going to do. Eat pizza. Kiss multiple times. Be gross. Be adorable. Wear each other’s jumpers. Watch dumb movies then roll around in bed until they fell asleep.

The digital shitstorm was approaching.

_is that REALLY mimo? holyfuckholyfuckholyfuckholyfuck_

_netizens said they were EXTREMELY CLOSE sksksks what does this mean??_

_ummmm?? what is happening? why aren’t people mad about this they clearly were NOT supposed to be taking pictures_

_are you guys SEEING THIS?? mimo were pictured leaving mcountdown HOLDING HANDS_

No news on another argument the duo were having.

But when it came to MiMo, anything was worth reporting.


	16. August: Part 2 [M]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AUGUST: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2bZ6XWsAEYcsU?format=jpg&name=small)

_"We can't pretend we_ didn't _see those pictures, Mina," Chaeyoung said as they all stood in SMC's kitchen the day after MiMo's performance at M!Countdown._

_"To be honest, we had no idea that someone was taking pictures of us at the time…" Mina exhaled, a little deflated. "We should've been more careful."_

_"Since when?" asked Dahyun with an eyebrow raised. "They're in the wrong for spying and taking pictures."_

_Mina clicked her fingers and paced back and forth in the kitchen, each step on the tiles being heard._

_"Yeah and also, no one has mentioned anything about dating, apart from the fans who ship you two," Tzuyu explained, rolling her eyes a little. "But it seems to be just a giant back and forth on Twitter, my head became dizzy."_

_"Momo and I saw this morning," Mina nodded along. "It's absolutely crazy online. Momo got a phone call from Tae and Jin asking about it, and the TATTOO members have messaged her."_

_"You've also had Namjoon and Yoongi ask, right?" Dahyun wondered._

_"Yeah, and Jeongyeon too. Hoseok's also been asking Momo. It seems those pictures caused quite a stir not just for the fans, but for us too."_

_"Not surprised. It is effectively a picture of two what many people consider to be rivals holding hands while walking out of the studio," Chaeyoung commented. "But at the same time those guys are definitely in the wrong for what they did. The headlines were...crazy."_

_"They really truly like to sensationalise every little detail about Momo and I, don't they?" Mina asked bitterly, her arms folded. SMC nodded solemnly, anger as clear as day on their faces._

_"Thankfully, your managers are responding to this well and they are doing what needs to be done to sort it out. Hopefully those pictures will no longer circulate," Tzuyu wished, rubbing Mina's shoulder comfortingly._

_Mina inhaled, then exhaled._

_She could only hope._

_\--_

_"The way you and Jin had_ very _different reactions to this is funny to me," said Momo, pouring milk into three separate mugs before putting it back in the fridge._

_"Hey, come on, the only reason why I was a little shocked is because I didn't think you two would end up dating," Taehyung reassured, which made Momo tilt her head to the side in slight disbelief._

_"But you were the one who wanted me to find common ground with her!"_

_"Find common ground, yeah, didn't think that would mean kissing each other at some point."_

_Jin snorted and shook his head as he glanced at the floor. Momo huffed a little before saying, "To be honest, I feel bad for laughing in Seungwan's face when she said to start dating Mina."_

_"She said that to you?" Taehyung asked._

_"Yeah," Momo nodded, "I didn't know if she was joking or not but she basically said near the beginning that if all else fails Mina and I should just get together."_

_Jin chuckled, "Well I mean...turned out to not be bad advice, huh?"_

_"No, but for an entirely different reason," Momo affirmed. Jin nodded his head a couple of times, a tiny grin playing on his face._

_Momo gave Taehyung and Jin their cups of tea and they stood in comfortable silence, taking sips every so often until Taehyung said, "Wrong of those...assholes to take pictures of you though."_

_"Yeah, are Eunbyul and Jiseok doing anything about it?" Jin wondered._

_"They're taking the appropriate action," Momo said almost nonchalantly, though it was obvious she did care about it. Shrugging, Momo finished her thought, "It's just...well...Mina and I are definitely pissed that they did it. It's not a good thing and they should be held accountable for it. I just don't know what they were expecting to find. Like...do they really care that much about whether Mina and I hate each other or not? What evidence were they hoping to get?"_

_"Maybe they were seriously hoping that you two would end up, I don't know, publicly fighting each other," Taehyung put forward._

_"They need to go look at a tree," Momo sighed, taking another sip of her tea._

_\--_

The penultimate day of August. There had been hotter days, but the heat still made basic things like moving around a difficult task.

So singing, dancing and performing on top of that was made an even _more_ difficult task.

"It's so fucking hot, I just wanna…" Momo groaned, lying on her back on the floor of her living room.

Mina walked up to her and stood with her toes just tucked underneath Momo's lower back. Towering over her, Mina simply said, "Get up off the floor."

"I can't be bothered." Momo dramatically dragged out the last word. Mina lifted an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"You'll get dirty lying on the ground like that!"

"What are you, my Mum?" Momo reached up and grabbed the nearest cushion before lying back down and covering her face with it. She groaned loudly and Mina sauntered away to the bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, she found her phone on the end table and picked it up, unlocking it and going onto Twitter.

There was only one thing she could think of tweeting at that point. So, she did.

_you need to give a little to get a little_

She backed out of the app before locking her phone again and throwing it onto the bed.

Stretching, she decided in this hot weather, a shower would be great.

It wasn't long before Momo could hear the shower from the living room. Sitting up, she chucked the cushion onto the sofa and got up slowly, making quite the song and dance about it before plopping onto the sofa itself.

She reached for her phone and went onto Twitter herself. Refreshing, she saw her girlfriend's tweet.

Her eyes travelled around the room, thinking about what she was going to tweet herself, since, the words were very clearly related to their current situation.

It then came to her.

_sometimes it's totally worth the risk_

A bold statement. Something that would probably raise a lot of eyebrows but she figured if Mina was going to tweet something like _that,_ Momo was going to, in a way, "reply".

The replies were a mix of questioning what the tweet meant, agreeing with her and not seeming to care what the context was, or a mix of both (with a few memes sprinkled throughout). Momo could only imagine that Mina's replies were much the same.

After her shower, Mina checked her notifications.

Identical.

\--

"Have we ever done a VLive together?" Momo asked.

"Umm...no, no we haven't," Mina replied, a little surprised that they in fact, _hadn't_ hopped onto VLive to do at least one live session. "Maybe we should at some point?"

"Yeah, we should. Not tonight though."

"Why not?" asked the brunette.

"Just a little tired from the heat, also, I like this thing we do where we cuddle and forget about everything for a while." Momo said this while sitting up on her bed and looking over at Mina. Glancing back, Mina couldn't help it as a smile worked its way onto her face; she ambled over to the bed and sat down.

"I kinda like it too," she confessed in a teasing tone. Momo chuckled and leaned forward until their lips were dangerously close. Capturing Momo's lips without much hesitation, Mina moved a little closer to her girlfriend and cupped her cheek. Momo returned the kiss, tilting her head to the side and deepening it ever so slightly.

"Hmm is _this_ what we're doing now?" Momo hummed into the kiss.

"You say that like we don't do this every time we get a spare five minutes," Mina replied in a similarly low voice.

"Let's make that five minutes longer," proposed Momo seductively, enticing Mina to the point where she kissed Momo until they were both out of breath and had to pull away for air.

Taking Mina's hand, Momo pulled her forward until she was on top of her. Mina dipped down to press chaste, sweet kisses to Momo's lips, pulling back every time the dark-haired woman tried to make those kisses deeper. They chuckled after every instance of playful kisses before they stopped and stared at each other.

Mina took in every one of Momo's features. Perfect jawline, the most tender lips, soft eyes that melted Mina's heart and made her fall in love every single time she looked into them. Long, dark hair that fell down past her shoulders but was now spread out across the pillow. Mina propped herself up with her hands either side of Momo's head as Momo kept her hands on Mina's waist.

Momo always admired Mina's smile. It was a delicate smile playing on lips that Momo always wanted to kiss. Mina's eyes always sparkled, and Momo was forever entranced by them.

They were indebted to one another.

As Mina leaned down to kiss Momo once again, Momo reciprocated, one hand reaching up to the nape of Mina's neck, the other one resting on the small of her back. Their bodies pressed together, and Momo had to hold back moans as the kiss became more passionate.

Mina kissed along Momo's jawline as Momo entangled her fingers in Mina's hair. The brunette softly pressed her lips to Momo's neck before moving down to kiss her collarbone and chest.

The temperature was no longer a problem.

Mina lifted herself up to ask, "Can I?" She indicated the shirt that Momo was wearing and the older woman nodded quickly. Slowly, Mina unbuttoned Momo's shirt and with every button, another kiss to her skin.

 _"God_ just…" Momo softly moaned. It made Mina giggle as she finished unbuttoning the shirt. She ran her fingers along the waistband of Momo's underwear and glanced up at her through her lashes.

Instinctively, Momo bucked her hips up to Mina's touch, wanting her. _"Please_ Mina…"

"Please...what?" the brunette teased, unable to contain her smirk.

"Ugh you _know_ what just…" Momo looked down at Mina.

Bending Momo's knees, Mina began kissing her inner thighs, from her knee down.

Every peck made Momo nearly go insane.

Mina moved back up to kiss Momo's chest, something that made Momo begin removing her shirt completely. Mina helped her out before throwing the shirt onto the floor.

The brunette's fingers danced across Momo's décolletage, making the dark-haired woman giggle as she bit her bottom lip. More kisses as Mina moved down to Momo's underwear once more.

Looking back up, they locked eyes.

"Do you want me to?" Mina asked, a little innocently, with the same sparkle in her eyes that Momo fell in love with.

The desire was so strong at that point, Momo simply said, "Yes."

Mina giggled before moving to become level with Momo's face again. This was the first time they had ever done anything like this.

Mina was a little nervous as her hand went further down, but Momo reassured her, running a hand through her hair, "It's okay. Don't be nervous."

Mina bit her bottom lip, before her hand went where Momo desperately needed it to go.

They kissed once again, Momo lightly gripping onto Mina's hair as they knocked foreheads. Mina started slow, but gradually got faster, responding to Momo's body movements every step of the way.

Being like this felt right for the both of them. It was perfect. It was everything they could have ever dreamed.

Momo felt it through every touch and Mina heard it through every noise that slipped through her girlfriend's lips.

Like ice cream melting on a hot summer's day.

Their hearts raced, and Momo's pulse quickened as Mina whispered into her ear, "Ssh, I got you."

It was only a short amount of time before Momo let go, and her back arched as Mina pressed several kisses to her cheek, jaw, neck, forehead, lips and chest. She removed her hand and rested it on Momo's stomach before they both giggled.

When they met eyes again, Mina felt Momo's hand caress her body. Sitting up briefly, Mina pulled her top over her head and Momo followed, immediately kissing every part of Mina's body she could. Pouring so much love into her. It was intoxicating.

Grabbing Momo's face, Mina leaned down to kiss her intensely, not a single bit of space between them. Momo let her hands rest at Mina's hips before allowing herself to fall back onto the bed, Mina following.

They broke the kiss and Momo's fingers traced every part of Mina's body, moving down to her underwear.

"Do it," Mina breathed out. And that was all Mina needed to say before Momo did the same.

Mina had to keep her elbows locked into place to stop herself from falling onto Momo, the sensation clouding her thoughts. She shut her eyes and Momo captured her lips again, Mina instantly returning it. She bit Momo's bottom lip and they briefly stopped to giggle before continuing the kiss.

It wasn't long before Momo brought Mina to where she needed to be, and Mina collapsed onto Momo's body.

"Ah! Ah, my hand!" Momo immediately said.

"Sorry!" Mina chuckled, pushing herself up so Momo could free her hand.

The brunette fell to Momo's left hand side and they faced each other.

Lifting her hand hand to cup Momo's cheek, Mina leaned into kiss Momo softly, sweetly, fondly.

A slow kiss that was full of affection. They stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Momo," Mina whispered.

"I love you too, you sappy dork."

Mina nudged Momo and they laughed before kissing one another again.

"Your sappy dork," Mina told her.

They brushed noses.

"My sappy dork."


	17. September: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [SEPTEMBER: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2bh2eXkAcKTaT?format=png&name=small)

The duo couldn't believe it was September already. Where the last eight months had gone, they had no idea, but the year had gone by too quickly for their liking.

They wish they could slow down. Everything was too fast paced.

Just under a month after releasing _Poem for You,_ MiMo found themselves with more schedules, and more things packed into their day.

Both Mina and Momo were constantly rushed off their feet.

_You have an interview today!_

_You have a music show to attend today!_

_We’re already talking about the stage you’re going to do at SBS Gayo Daejeon at the end of this year. Let us know if you have any ideas of what you want to do._

_Don’t forget, we have to start preparations for your third and final mini album. Isn’t it crazy how quickly this year has gone?_

Too quickly, they would answer. And the duo would exchange looks every time they were reminded that they were meant to be a project duo.

They were chilling in Mina’s dorm (with every visit inspiring _more_ theories and _more_ raised eyebrows from fans who were wondering what was going on), when Momo leaned over the back of the sofa and whispered a proposal in Mina’s ear.

“Maybe we should...post a selca…”

Mina paused the game she was playing on her phone and turned her head to look at Momo, who returned the look. She grinned in a persuasive manner and Mina eyed her.

“What? It’s been a while since we’ve posted a selca! We absolutely should.”

“You want to inspire more fan theories?”

The honest question threw Momo for a loop, and she tugged at the inside of her bottom lip. She then responded genuinely, “That’s _not_ why I suggested it.”

“I know,” Mina jumped in to say, looking down at her phone and biting the inside of her cheek. “Okay, let’s do it.” They looked at one another once more and it was now Momo’s turn to look surprised.

“Really?”

“Yes. If I’m being totally honest, everyone’s always gonna have something to say about anything we do.” Momo’s face fell, even when she knew Mina was telling the truth. “But...that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take a cute picture together.”

Momo chuckled and walked around the sofa to sit down beside Mina. Unlocking her phone, Momo tapped on the camera and lifted it to take a picture when Mina said, “Wait!”

Letting her arm fall, Momo watched Mina hop off the sofa and run into the bedroom. She came back out with a large teddy bear in her arm and Momo smiled, recognising it as the teddy bear that she won for Mina at the arcades when they both went.

The brunette sat beside her again and held it up while Momo lifted her phone again. They took a few pictures before looking through them.

“I guess the teddy bear is all part of your subliminal messaging?” Momo teased slightly.

“Oh you know me all too well, Hirai,” Mina replied before leaning in to kiss her.

Soon enough, the selca was posted to Twitter with a simple caption: a handshake emoji.

And just as Mina predicted, the theories were everywhere.

_a handshake emoji?? what the fuck does that mean??_

_they are either being serious about this or we are all clowns_

_OMG do you think it means they’ve actually sorted their shit out???_

_sorry, how do you go from being SWORN PUBLIC ENEMIES to now being all fine and happy with each other and like...best friends?? seems really suspicious to me, sorry ngl_

_i totally agree with you like, that shit makes NO sense_

_how can you claim to know what’s going on behind the scenes? answer: you DON’T! we don’t know if they’re forced to be friends or whether they’re actually friends now_

_i honestly don’t think that mina and momo would let something like this happen if they were being forced to do it by their company. in my opinion this project duo thing has actually made them see eye to eye with each other_

_people are so invested in their feud that they hate to see the possibility of them actually being friends, you’re just not ready for that conversation_

\--

“Why are people so obsessed with you and Momo, dude?” Yoongi said, annoyed, as he, Namjoon, Jeongyeon and Mina sat in one of the dance studios, drinking beers.

It wasn’t against the rules, but it was certainly not something the staff would ever advise them to do.

_You can drink in your own dorms, why do you always do it in the dance studio?_

None of them knew the answer to that question, but drinking in the dance studio felt more casual as opposed to sitting in the dorm. It was an after work drink while still at work.

“Because we were an unexpected duo and people are either shocked to see that we look like we’re getting along, _or,_ they can’t ever see us as anything other than enemies,” Mina replied, to which Yoongi raised his eyebrow at her. “I know, trust me, I know.”

She took a sip of her beer and rubbed the nape of her neck. It wasn’t her favourite thing to drink, but she didn’t mind it.

“Just reminds me of the time people thought Seokjin and I were dating ‘cause we starred in the same drama,” Jeongyeon mentioned as she drummed her fingers on the neck of the beer bottle.

“Oh _that_ was something else,” Namjoon said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Jeongyeon lifted the bottle to her lips and took a drink as the headlines flashed before her eyes. _Seokjin and Jeongyeon spotted smiling and laughing on set. Fans speculate if there is something going on between them._

 _‘Yeah, of course there is. It’s not like Jin’s been with Taehyung for a whole year now,’_ she had thought that day.

“How are things between you and Momo anyway?” Namjoon asked. Mina knew exactly what the question meant, and had recognised a while ago that any such question was a thinly veiled attempt to ask her if any of the stuff being said online had affected her, without openly asking it.

Mina was thankful in a way; it was a question she’d typically roll her eyes at wrapped up in a neat little package marked _questions that were easier to answer._

“Yeah, things are, things are good,” she smiled, and while the smile reached her eyes, there was an emotion in her eyes that Namjoon could tell she was trying to mask. His facial expression led Mina to say, “We are fine. Nothing is getting to us, but there are obviously external things we’re dealing with.”

Namjoon nodded, happy with the answer, and this time the smile reached her eyes.

He then tapped the neck of his bottle to Mina’s. A little gesture that said, _I’ve always got your back._ And Namjoon always had.

Taehyung to Momo was Namjoon to Mina.

\--

“I know what you’re thinking, you don’t have to tell me,” said Momo, sitting in TATTOO’s dorm. The trio had invited her round for dinner and drinks to let off some steam after a long week, but Momo could tell it was quickly becoming a night where they spoke about _it._

 _It_ being Momo’s relationship with Mina.

“I’m just saying, you made a bold move earlier on today,” commented Seulgi, sitting on the sofa opposite her.

“Yep, just as I thought,” Momo replied, her elbow resting on the back of the sofa as she ran her fingers through her hair. Seulgi rolled her eyes as Yugyeom came to sit beside her. After a while, Jaebeom came to join them and Momo found her eyes darting back and forth between the three of them.

She had noticed something different about the trio recently, and wanted to ask, but at the same time didn’t want to pry. Momo kept her questions to herself as she stood up to make herself another vodka and coke.

While she was standing at the kitchen counter, her back turned to the trio, the three of them sat on the sofa looking at one another and talking among themselves.

“Better not be talking about me,” Momo joked a little as she turned around, drink in hand. She leaned against the counter as the trio exchanged looks once again before standing up. They approached Momo and the dark-haired woman narrowed her eyes.

“Okay...what’s going on? I wasn’t going to ask but...something is going on here, I can tell. Wait. Please don’t tell me you’re disbanding,” Momo suddenly said, putting her drink down.

Jaebeom laughed and said, “No, no, we’re absolutely _not_ disbanding, but…”

Momo watched as Jaebeom moved to wrap his arms around Seulgi’s waist from behind. Seulgi then reached for Yugyeom’s hand and they all stood closer together in front of Momo, whose jaw had since dropped.

A smile reached the trio’s lips as Momo blinked multiple times. “Wow...well then.”

“You don’t...I mean you don’t think…” Yugyeom began, but Momo held her hand up.

“Of course not! I think it’s great news,” she beamed at the three of them and they all smiled widely.

Momo stared at them as Jaebeom pressed a kiss to Seulgi’s shoulder, Yugyeom to Jaebeom’s head, and Seulgi to Yugyeom’s hand.

_‘So that’s what’s going on. And it’s amazing.’_

\--

It had been a week since the duo had uploaded the selca, and it didn’t seem like the reactions were going to stop any time soon.

Much like everything else that they had experienced, it was just truly overwhelming.

People were still making up theories about it, writing posts about it, and sharing their thoughts and opinions on it. Ironically, the posts telling others to _stop_ making posts garnered the most attention for being the ones still talking about it, despite not wanting others to.

_If you stop talking about it, it will eventually go away._

Mina and Momo had learned that the hard way, and much too late into their careers.

\--

As Mina and Momo ate lunch in the latter’s dorm, the brunette said, “Remember that VLive we talked about doing but never got round to doing?” Momo hummed. “We should do that soon.”

“Tonight?” Momo asked, looking over at her.

“Oh God no, not tonight. Just, soon.”

Momo took a bite of her food, “Hate to be that person but, we keep talking about how we should do it and then one of us keeps putting it off.”

“It’s frustrating, I know. It’s like, _I’m so ready to do this!_ And then the actual opportunity arises for us to do one, and neither one of us wants to do it!” A small laugh slipped past Mina’s lips.

Momo then put her hand on Mina’s, “Seriously, though, we should do it when we’re both ready. No arbitrary deadlines. Only when we’re _both_ ready.”

Mina nodded as she looked up at Momo. They pecked each other’s lips and went back to eating lunch, taking intermittent sips of their drinks and chatting about their upcoming schedules.

“Do you ever just think about how we always got solo schedules and got used to it and then we had to quickly get used to having schedules with another person?” questioned Mina.

“And the fact that we’re totally used to _this_ now?” Mina nodded. “Yeah, it’s kinda crazy.”

“100%. And you know, I’ve been thinking…” Mina wiped her hands with a piece of tissue to buy her some time as she gathered her thoughts. “I don’t really want to go back to having those solo schedules.”

Momo looked at her. “You mean…” She took a few seconds to properly register Mina’s words. “You mean, you want us to stay as we are? As a duo?”

“Well, yeah...sorta.” Momo raised an eyebrow. “I mean, yes. Yes, I do. I don’t want us to be a project thing anymore. I want us to become a proper duo. Screw what everyone else thinks about it, I want us to become a _duo._ If you...also want that.”

Momo turned to face Mina completely and cupped her face with both hands.

“I would _love_ that.”

A huge grin appeared on Mina’s face and they kissed each other once, twice, several times before hugging one another.

The excitement was there for a few seconds. The concept of them being an _actual,_ fully established duo, renewing their contracts and staying as they are. It was there for a few seconds.

Until it was drowned out by what would be the inevitable confusion, possible hate, and the likely event that their companies might not allow them to sign such a contract.

But they had hope. And they held onto that.

As well as each other.

_Screw what everyone else thinks about it._


	18. September: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [SEPTEMBER: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2b0LiWAAE3amz?format=png&name=small)

_i miss mimo_

_they've done a whole bunch of solo vlives but never one together and that makes me SAD_

_i wonder why they've never done a vlive together_

_maybe because the comment section would be a MESS_

_i hope they do a duo one soon, they've been one for seven months and NOTHING!!_

\--

"Your fans want that VLive, my loves," Sana sighed as she sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter, opposite the two of them. Running her index finger along the brim of her glass, she gazed at her two friends who were standing beside one another, Momo with her elbow on the counter and Mina drumming her fingers along the marble.

"I feel so bad that we haven't done anything for them yet," Momo tugged at the inside of her bottom lip. Mina felt the same way, and it truly hurt them in the pit of their stomach that they weren't being completely truthful with their fans.

All for fear that they _couldn't_ be completely truthful, and that killed more than anything.

"We've always said we'll do one when the time feels right for the both of us. It just seems whenever it's right for one, it's never also right for the other," Mina explained. Sana hummed before picking up her glass and taking a sip of her orange juice. She thought about her response as she finished the rest of the drink and put the glass back down, lightly patting her lips with her sleeve.

"Do each of you just...pretend you're ready at random times in the hopes that the other person will be?"

The couple glanced at one another before looking back at Sana.

"I don't understand," said Momo, Mina sharing the same sentiment, knitting her eyebrows together.

"What I mean is...are there times where you just tell yourself that you're definitely ready when you're actually _not_ ready, with the hope that the other person will be?"

Momo straightened her back and glanced over at Mina, who was looking down at her nails.

"I don't...think so," the older woman replied.

"No I mean...every time we've _thought_ we've been ready we've genuinely thought that until…" the brunette faltered.

"Until you discovered the other person wasn't?"

"As we said, we want to make sure that both of us are in the right place to do so," Momo responded, and Sana nodded in understanding.

"Makes complete sense. But when you find out the other person isn't ready, is it a disappointed feeling like, _oh damn, it's a shame she's not ready, but that's okay,_ or is it, _actually on second thoughts, I was never ready for this in the first place?"_

Mina and Momo exchanged glances, and their eyes communicated Mina's next words, "Sometimes it's been both."

"I see," Sana commented, "well I think it's good you're honest about that. I mean, you've been talking about this a _lot."_

"Yeah, and we do want to do one!" said Mina, confidently.

"We do!" Momo agreed.

"And you'll know when the time is right to do one, you'll just feel it!" Sana assured, reaching across to take their hands and hold them briefly before drawing back. Her smile inspired a lot of hope in the couple. They would know when the right time is to take that step.

It was just a matter of finding out when that time _was._

\--

_SG: Jaebeom! Come here._

_Jaebeom moved to sit beside Seulgi on the sofa._

_JB: What's up?_

_SG: I started a VLive, wanna join me?_

_Seulgi adjusted her position so that Jaebeom was sitting behind her. Moving forward slightly, Jaebeom leaned forward so his chin was nearly resting on Seulgi's shoulder._

_JB: Hello, Inks. How was your day?_

_Jaebeom turned his attention to the comments and saw one asking him what he'd been up to._

_JB: What have I been up to? Not much today, just hanging out in the dorm. Yugyeom!_

_YY: Yeah?_

_JB: We're doing a VLive!_

_Seulgi smiled towards where Yugyeom was coming out of the bathroom to join them before looking back at the camera. She turned so that all three of them were in frame._

_SG: Shall we?_

_JB: Yep. On my sleeve!_

_ALL: Hello everyone! We are TATTOO!_

Momo watched with a bright smile on her face, her head spinning as she took mental notes along the way of how she and Mina could go about doing their VLive.

_Yugyeom moved to sit to the left of Seulgi as she lifted her phone so that all three of them could be seen._

_SG: Ah, my arm._

_She chuckled as Jaebeom looked around for something they could prop the phone up against._

_JB: Can we put it up against that plant pot or will it be too low?_

_SG: Definitely too low. I think if we put some books on the table we can lean it against the top._

Momo watched as the trio set up their phone before sitting on the sofa properly.

_SG: That's much better._

_YY: That way you don't have to keep holding it._

The hearts on the top left corner kept increasing, the comments being flooded with love for all three members.

Momo thought to herself, _'I'm sure it'll be the same for Mina and I, right?'_

_JB: It's been a long time since we've done a VLive._

_SG: Yeah, we were away on tour for a couple of weeks and then we jumped into preparations for…_

_Seulgi hid her lips as Jaebeom and Yugyeom's eyes widened._

_JB: Don't tell them! That's a spoiler!_

_Yugyeom laughed as Seulgi covered her face in embarrassment. She reached for their hands and chuckled some more, shaking her head at her own mistake._

_SG: Sorry, guys! Major spoiler, pretend you didn't hear a thing!_

Smiling to herself, Momo watched the comment section suddenly be filled up with promises from the fans that they had heard nothing. She watched how Seulgi briefly interlocked her hands with Jaebeom and Yugyeom before pulling away again, letting her hands glide softly over theirs before resting them in her lap. Momo noticed the subtlety of how she did it, along with Jaebeom and Yugyeom moving away from her slightly.

Like they had processed and understood the gesture in mere seconds.

The atmosphere seemed to have changed so quickly that Momo could feel it through her phone screen. Her face fell as she watched Seulgi pick at her nails, her eyes not meeting the camera.

_YY: Do you guys wanna hear a funny story?_

_Yugyeom leaned forward and Seulgi and Jaebeoms eyes quickly darted to him. Inside, they thanked Yugyeom for breaking the ice._

Momo listened to the story of how Jaebeom almost poured orange juice into his cereal, not realising that it wasn't milk, and the other two laughed and the tension wore off very quickly.

One comment caught Momo's attention but she didn't scroll up to find it. Instead, she continued watching the trio's VLive until it ended about half an hour later. They had managed to move past the hand holding, but Momo knew they were probably wanting the ground to swallow them up.

She locked her phone and put it aside. Taking a deep breath, she considered it for a few seconds before standing up and going into the bedroom where Mina was laying and reading a book.

Their eyes met and Mina could tell Momo had something on her mind, "What's up?" She tapped the space beside her, to which Momo sat down.

"Tomorrow. I think I want to do a VLive tomorrow."

From behind her, Mina wore a blank expression for a few seconds before a tiny smile worked its way onto her face.

"Tomorrow? Let's do it."

Momo turned to her and their smiles grew wider before they kissed.

The older woman never got to know what the comment that caught her attention had said.

_they held hands and then it looked really awkward, did anyone else see that or is it just me?_

\--

The duo had been preparing themselves all day for the VLive. Every time they looked at one another, they would knowingly smile, a mix of excitement and nervousness. They wondered if they should let their fans know about the upcoming live session, but decided it would be best to surprise them with it.

Evening came around, and they decided to go to Jihyo's company building for the VLive.

"We're nervous but ready to do this," Momo told Jihyo as the two of them were taken to an empty practice room.

"I'm so excited to watch! Nayeon and I will be watching from the dance studio, we can't wait!" Jihyo replied, clapping her hands a little. She reached the empty practice room and opened the door, allowing the two of them to walk in. "Right, I'm gonna run to the dance studio, don't start it yet!"

"Text us when you and Nayeon are ready!" Mina giggled, and Jihyo gave them a thumbs up with a nod before leaving the room and running back to the dance studio where Nayeon was waiting for her.

"Well, let's set this up then," Momo exhaled.

"This sounds really formal," Mina chuckled a little nervously.

"Well, it is quite an occasion," Momo replied, setting up two chairs while Mina dragged a table across so they could put their small tripod and phone on there.

 _It means we won't have to hold it,_ Momo had said.

 _Good idea,_ Mina had agreed.

"I just hope we can be casual on camera without looking like we're faking getting along," the brunette said.

"To be honest, I think the important thing to remember is that, no matter what it is, someone is going to have their thoughts on what's going on. They might change, they might not, but a lot of people already have preconceived ideas about what's happening, even though it's not true."

Mina nodded as she unlocked her phone and tapped the VLive app. Her phone then buzzed, showing a message from Jihyo.

**jihyo**

**we're ready!! let's go!!**

Mina smiled at the message before removing the notification and saying, "They're ready, are you?"

Sitting down on one of the chairs, Momo sighed, "Yes."

"So am I. Let's do this."

_The two of them moved closer to the table and began the broadcast._

_MM: Is it on? Are we live?_

_MN: I think so… Hold on let me check._

_Mina leaned forward to make sure everything was working properly and noticed that the view count was slowly growing._

_MM: I'll quickly tweet out that we're doing a VLive right now._

_Mina sat back in her chair and looked over at Momo, then grinned. People started leaving comments and the number of hearts were growing rapidly._

_MN: Wow, we're already at 20,000 viewers. The number keeps growing!_

_She nudged Momo and pointed at the number and Momo looked visibly shocked._

_MM: Oh my God… Thank you so much for joining us on our first official VLive as a duo!_

_MN: Yes! Thank you so much!_

_Momo quickly put her phone down._

_MM: I've just told everyone we're doing a live. Oh wow, there are more people watching!_

_MN: Wow… thank you so much._

_The two of them wore bright smiles and realised they couldn't keep up with the amount of comments. Suddenly, they sat up straight and prepared themselves to do their intro._

_MM: One, two, three!_

_BOTH: Hello everyone!_

_They bowed._

_MN: I'm Mina!_

_MM: I'm Momo!_

_BOTH: And we're MiMo!_

_MN: So yes, this is our first VLive as a duo…_

_MM: They're probably wondering why it took so long for us to do a VLive like this. We've wanted to do a VLive as a duo for a long time!_

_MN: That is true, I guess we were just nervous to do one together. We're so used to doing solo VLives we were worried about doing one as a duo._

_MM: But thankfully, we're doing one now._

_MN: Yes!_

The VLive started off so well. The duo were becoming more relaxed. They were laughing more, smiling more, and viewers could see how well they bounced off one another.

When Mina briefly rested her head against Momo's shoulder so naturally, her arm on Momo's thigh, everything seemed to change.

_omg look at how they're sitting!_

_oh come on, they don't hate each other at all_

_this is all fake, this is all staged, they set this up so they could look all friendly with one another_

_so called public enemies don't cuddle each other like girlfriends_

It took Mina looking up at the phone screen to notice how they were actually sitting. In an instant, she pushed herself up and ran a hand through her hair, immediately becoming quiet.

Momo briefly glanced up at her before looking back down at her phone where she had Twitter open. She had decided to put out a tweet asking for questions so they could answer them.

Momo should've known. A defeated sigh escaped her lips.

The duo gazed at one another, their eye contact spawning more comments, more theories, more people talking about what was going on.

_MN: We're so sorry that we're cutting this VLive short._

_Momo simply frowned a little as Mina took the phone out of the tripod's hold._

_MN: We don't want to keep you, so we'll say goodbye now._

_MM: Bye, guys._

_They both waved at the camera and wasted no time turning off the broadcast. Once they were sure it was over, Momo locked the phone and set it down on the table._

_The broadcast had ended after ten minutes._

"I'm so sorry…" Mina whispered, almost inaudibly.

Momo turned to her, "Why are you apologising?" Her voice was soft, calm.

"I… I know how it looked when I saw the screen. I just knew that it wasn't going to look good." Mina could feel tears well up in her eyes at how bad she felt. Momo pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, Mina. Don't apologise. You did nothing wrong."

"I made things awkward. I panicked and turned off the VLive. That seems like something I should apologise for."

Momo shut her eyes and sighed, "Please, don't apologise for that. In fact, I was about to do the same thing."

Mina lifted her head to look at the older woman, to which Momo showed her the sorts of questions that they were asked.

"And they expect us to answer this?" Mina said, wiping a few tears away.

"Apparently." Momo pressed a kiss to Mina's temple and held her close. "It's okay. Don't worry."

They stayed in the practice room for a while. Some time passed and Nayeon and Jihyo knocked on the door, but Momo shook her head at them through the window. The couple knew to give them space and walked away.

Every time Momo closed her eyes, she saw those questions. Wondered why they would ask. What they were trying to prove.

_People already have preconceived ideas about what's happening._

She shook her head and held Mina even closer.

If there was only one thing she was concerned about, it was making sure Mina was okay.

"What's so difficult about seeing us together and actually thinking, _hey, they could be friends!_ What's so hard about that?" Mina sobbed.

"People just want a headline."

_so...are you done being enemies yet?_

_can you please stop hating each other?? okay ilysm_

_what's been the worst fight you've ever had?_

_did you secretly listen to each other's songs before becoming a duo?_

_out of the two of you, who hates the other person more?sjdjdjshs_

_hey, aren't you sick of everyone being such assholes in the replies?_

_'Yes. In more ways than I could possibly describe.'_


	19. October: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [OCTOBER: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2b-25XYAAnvMe?format=png&name=small)

Mina and Momo thought they had scored a break from the watchful eyes of the media. But alas, no. Ever since their VLive, they couldn’t go online _or_ outside without people wanting to ask them several questions about everything.

One day, the duo decided they had had enough.

“Let’s go somewhere,” Momo said as she approached Mina, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She could tell from Mina’s face when they met eyes that the brunette was almost at tipping point, and that her thought process was exactly the same.

“Fuck it, let’s go.” She stood up and grabbed Momo’s hand, pulling her into the bedroom where the two of them got ready.

Some time later, they left Momo’s dorm and braced themselves. They didn’t know _who_ would be out there just lying in wait for them to leave the building. Interlocking their fingers together, they descended the staircase side by side until they reached the ground floor. Quietly, they opened the back door to the dorm and left the building behind, Mina leading Momo to her car. Very rarely did any of them ever leave the dorm without their managers, or at least without letting their managers know where they would be going. Mina climbed into the driver’s seat, Momo in the passenger’s seat. She turned on the engine and drove away from the dorm, and Momo relaxed beside her.

“Almost feels like we’re free. How about we just get away from here?” Momo joked a little, even though there was a layer of sincerity to it. Mina chuckled a little as she stopped at a red light. Out of nowhere, her phone buzzed. Momo turned and grabbed Mina’s bag, pulling her phone out and passing it to her promptly. Mina took her phone and unlocked it.

**_Manager Jiseok_**

**_Where are you?_ **

“Fucking hell,” Mina mumbled under her breath, locking her phone and throwing it back into her bag. Momo took it from her and put it on the backseat as the traffic light went from red, to amber, to green.

“What’s up?” Momo drew her eyebrows together.

“Jiseok’s _fast._ He’s just asked me where I am, and I guess where _we_ are.”

“Damn it,” the older woman muttered, turning to stare out of the window. "I guess this means we should probably head back?"

"Hold on, let me stop somewhere then I'll text Jiseok." Mina drove for a little while longer before pulling into the first car park she could find. Parking her car, she switched off the engine and turned to grab her phone out of her bag.

**_Momo and I decided to go out for a drive_ **

**_Manager Jiseok_ **

**_Without telling me, huh? It's been a while since you've gone somewhere without telling me_ **

**_We just wanted to be away from all of it for a bit, as impossible as that sounds_ **

Mina could see the three dots appear and disappear multiple times and she sighed, a little impatient. Momo reached over to rest a hand on her thigh and it put the brunette at ease a little.

**_Manager Jiseok_ **

**_As soon as you step a foot out of your car, there are gonna be people everywhere_ **

"Ugh…" Mina shook her head before turning her phone to show Momo the message from Jiseok. "I hate that he has a point."

"We don't... _have_ to step a foot out of the car," Momo suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

Eyeing her with a hint of disbelief, Mina exhaled once more and drummed her fingers on the back of her phone a few times.

"Or we _could,_ and just not care if people see us," Mina offered, and Momo drew back and stared at her.

"Adventurous," Momo stated.

"And risky," Mina replied, beginning to change her mind. She looked forward through the windscreen.

"Do you want to, you know...go _out?"_

"Do you?"

"It's up to you."

"It's also up to you."

They stare at one another, raising their eyebrows before chuckling.

"Okay, be honest, do you want to go out?" Momo asked. With full sincerity, Mina nodded, looking at Momo in the eyes. The older woman smiled before removing her seatbelt, "Cool, so do I. Let's go grab a coffee." Mina smiled before taking off her own seatbelt and stepping out of the car.

The two of them felt exposed as soon as they left the car. Mina locked it and Momo walked around the back to stand by Mina's side. She wanted to reach for Mina's hand but didn't know if she should. Briefly, Mina interlocked their pinky fingers before letting go, looking at her with a tender smile that Momo returned.

Bravely, they stepped away from the vehicle and headed for the nearest coffee shop. The streets weren't too busy, but there were people milling about. It was only a matter of time.

The duo strolled into the first coffee shop they saw walking down the street. There were a few people in the coffee shop, and when they saw the pair, they began whispering among themselves about whether it really _was_ MiMo that had just entered.

Approaching the counter, the barista recognised them immediately and pointed to a table at the far back of the café before taking their order. Mina and Momo turned their heads and noticed the table that he was referring to. They turned back and nodded, thanking him politely. Paying for their drinks, they wandered over to the table at the back of the café and sat down. Everyone eyed them from afar, astonished that the duo just happened to be out and about. Mina and Momo felt eyes on them and tried hard to keep their heads down as the others in the café tried not to look at the duo.

Both things proved to be difficult.

Minutes later, two lattes were placed on the table in front of them. Mina and Momo looked down and saw hearts on the tops of their drinks. Glancing up, they thanked the barista, who bowed and said, "Support and love always," with a smile on his face before walking away.

Looking down at the hearts again, they smiled fondly. They exchanged looks before beginning to drink their coffees.

Suddenly, Mina remembered.

**_We're at this coffee shop_ **

Mina found a picture and sent it to Jiseok, who responded with a thumbs up and told her that if they needed anything, that he and Eunbyul would be there in no time. Mina let Momo know and the duo allowed themselves to relax, drink their coffees and talk among themselves.

For the first time in a long time, they felt like they could breathe.

The couple had their phones on silent so they weren’t constantly distracted, and they simply enjoyed one another’s company. Gradually, the other people in the coffee shop started to leave, and they were the only two customers left.

“We should really get going soon,” Momo leaned forward to say. Mina nodded in response, finishing off the slice of chocolate cake that she had bought some time during the two of them being there. Momo had a slice of lemon cake.

“Shall we?” Mina wondered, grabbing her bag, to which Momo nodded and did the same. They stood up and walked past the counter, thanking the barista, who bowed and grinned as they left.

When they left, they made their way back to the car park, but were stopped within a few seconds.

“MiMo! Hey, Mina! Hey, Momo!”

“MiMo! MiMo!”

“Over there! Look!”

“They were just in that café!”

The duo stopped in their tracks at the crowds of people who had suddenly filled a once relatively quiet street. Out of nowhere, people with cameras appeared and began taking pictures of them. Mina and Momo decided to pose for a couple of pictures before making their way back to the car, trying not to push or barge past anyone. Suddenly, a crowd of people, including their managers, appeared in the car park and ran towards them, making a circle around them and telling everyone else to stand back. Within a few seconds, Mina and Momo were in their car, and Eunbyul and Jiseok, along with a few members of security, were telling the fans and photographers to stand out of the way while Mina reversed the car out of the parking space.

Upon seeing the car move, the crowd parted. They backed away as Mina turned the vehicle around and drove out of the car park. The two of them could see camera flashes in the mirrors, and Mina tried to stay focused as she drove back to the dorm.

Not stopping to breathe until they were back in Momo’s dorm, Mina pulled into the car park and turned off the engine before they both climbed out and ran back inside. They almost flew up the six flights of stairs and dove into Momo’s dorm, shutting the door behind them.

Once they had caught their breath, they both began to laugh involuntarily; not really because anything was particularly funny, but the shock of everything caused a few chuckles to slip through the cracks.

“Fucking hell...did we just do that?” Momo said quite breathlessly.

“I... I think we did,” Mina replied, scratching the back of her head. They collapsed onto the sofa and didn’t move again until they heard a loud banging at the door.

Momo stood up and jogged towards the door, opening it. Taehyung walked in immediately. “What were you thinking?” he asked, a sprinkling of anger in his voice.

“We were thinking that we might just go out by _ourselves_ for once,” Momo responded, shutting the door. Taehyung rubbed his forehead and exhaled through his nose. “Anyway, how the fuck do _you_ know anything about that?”

Taehyung glared at her, “Are you serious? Do you not understand how quickly stuff about you spreads? Someone shared your location and within two minutes people were at the scene. Just a few minutes after that, pictures started floating around _everywhere,_ with one headline calling it your _first public appearance.”_ He put quotation marks around those last three words, remembering the context. Momo tilted her head to the side, a little confused. “Remember? You had your VLive some time ago and then everyone wondered where you were?”

“Oh my God,” Mina said. Taehyung twisted his body to see Mina sitting there before turning back to look at Momo.

 _“That’s_ why they’re making such a big deal out of it?” Momo raised an eyebrow.

“You know, for how much you two have been through both as soloists _and_ as a duo, it’s amazing how naive you still sound,” Taehyung quipped.

“It’s not me being naive, it’s me not really understanding why they’ve treated the VLive like it took place months ago. You usually reserve the _first public appearance_ for a) couples, and b) people who haven’t been in the spotlight for a long time. It’s not even been a whole month since we did that VLive.”

“She’s got a point,” Mina agreed, standing up.

Taehyung then looked back at Mina, before looking back at Momo. Then back at Mina. Then back at Momo.

“What?” Momo asked.

“Look at your outfits for one second,” Taehyung folded his arms.

Mina looked down. Momo looked down. They looked at one another. Their eyes widened.

“Ha...didn’t quite realise we were wearing such coupley outfits!” Momo smiled awkwardly, trying to joke but Taehyung just rolled his eyes.

“They also brought attention to the fact that your VLive ended just after ten minutes. It’s still quite a big thing. Especially after what a lot of people would consider to be an awkward moment.” Mina glanced off to the side, remembering it all too well. Momo noticed her facial expression change and stood in to defend her.

“We didn’t end it for the reason that you’re probably thinking of,” Momo said. Taehyung lifted an eyebrow. “I ended it because I started getting a bunch of questions that I didn’t want to answer. I still have that tweet! I can still bring up those questions!”

“Maybe you should…” Taehyung exhaled, thinking. The duo stared at him, waiting for him to continue. “Maybe you should just...make a video. Address it. Finally talk about it once and for all. If people still want to believe you hate each other, let them. But I think it’s finally time you set the record straight with people once and for all.”

The couple exchanged glances. They both knew Taehyung was right.

And they were going to do it soon.

\--

A few days passed since their “first public appearance”, and Mina and Momo were contemplating how they should go about filming the video. They wanted it to be genuine, but they didn’t just want to turn a camera on and talk; they wanted it to make sense and be coherent, but obviously have it not be staged.

In Mina’s dorm, they set up the camera that they borrowed from Namjoon on a tripod. Making sure everything was in the right place, Momo sat atop the kitchen counter, and Mina turned on the camera before joining her. They sat side by side and each took deep breaths in and out. Quickly squeezed one another’s hands comfortingly before letting go.

Mina spoke first.

_MN: Hi, I’m Mina._

_MM: Hi, I’m Momo._

_Both: And we’re MiMo._

_MN: It’s been long overdue, but we decided that we just needed to come on camera and talk about well...us._

_MM: A lot of things have been thrown around the internet, and a lot of people believe that we still hate each other when that is not the case._

_MN: We would never lie to you guys, nor would we want to lie to you guys, so we’ve chosen to talk about this openly so you understand where our friendship is now. Because we’re not enemies!_

_The duo chuckled._

_MM: That’s right, we’re not enemies! Also, if you still believe that we hate each other, or that we faked this or staged this, we can’t change how you think or feel, but we hope that you just listen with an open mind and open heart._

_MN: Now, it’s widely known, or it has been widely known, that we are enemies. Public enemies. And that we hate each other…_

_MM: Despise each other, even…_

_MN: Exactly, and we want to be honest. It was like that in the beginning._

_Momo nodded along with Mina’s explanation._

_MN: We didn’t want to work with one another, we weren’t looking forward to it._

_MM: We thought it was gonna be a really tough time, and it was for a while._

_MN: We were often fighting or arguing. Always thinking about why we got put in a duo when it was clear to everyone who knew us that we hated each other._

_MM: But over the months, we’ve come to realise that we don’t actually hate each other at all. It was all based on pointless jealousy of the other person. There was actually nothing we hated about each other, we were for some reason just jealous, but even then that wasn’t justified._

_MN: Yeah, for some reason we always saw one another as threats in the industry, but instead of working together to get over that, we decided to channel that into something more negative, which was not good for either of us._

_MM: Exactly, and I think working together has really made us realise that our behaviour towards the other person was not right and that underneath it all, we had a real chance of being friends but for some reason, the jealousy took over._

_MN: I think for the longest time, both of us knew that. Like, the things that we were doing started to affect us and we didn’t want to hurt the other person because it was unnecessary._

_MM: Being in a duo has really taught us a lot about each other and also ourselves. We’re constantly striving to be better people, and we can confidently say that the two of us are really good friends now._

_MN: Indeed we are._

_Mina nudged her. Momo nudged back. They giggled before pulling one another into a hug and staying like that for a few seconds. When they pulled away, they turned back to the camera._

_MM: Thank you all so much for the love and support you’ve given us, not just as soloists but also as a duo._

_MN: We are so grateful, and from the bottom of our hearts, we wanna say thank you, and that we love you guys so much!_

_MM: Love you MiMonators! Thank you so much for watching!_

_MN: Thank you!_

_They waved and hopped off the counter to move closer to the lens. Bright smiles on their faces, they waved again and said goodbye before Mina stopped the recording._

The pair stood up straight, and Mina went to check that the camera had officially stopped recording. Once her eyes found Momo’s once more, she said, “Come here.”

Momo wasted no time and was in Mina’s arms in seconds, their lips connecting in a soft kiss. There was zero distance between them as they both smiled into the kiss.

Pulling back only slightly, Mina whispered, “Do you want to?”

Momo pouted, turned off the camera and replied, “Absolutely,” with a smirk, before dragging a giggly Mina into the bedroom and pinning her down onto the bed.

Wherever Momo’s lips went, sparks ignited on Mina’s body.

And wherever Mina was, Momo would always be right beside her.

\--

_see? now everyone can shut the fuck up honestly_

_hmmm still don’t see it sorry_

_everyone’s just mad that they’re friends, stay mad_

_LOOK THEY ARE GOOD FRIENDS LEAVE THEM ALONE_

_some of you really need to leave this fandom if you’re gonna continue acting like this istg_

_when mimo really shut all of you up by leaving their companies and becoming a real duo_

_they’re gonna become a real duo at the end of this year. WATCH._


	20. October: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [OCTOBER: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2cFmBWsAAFBcd?format=png&name=small)

The year was going by too fast for the duo. It was almost November, and the two of them couldn’t believe that it was nearing the end of the year _that_ quickly.

They realised this the day of their Halloween event.

“Jesus, is it the 27th already?” Momo wondered, staring at her phone.

“Yep, which means three things,” Mina announced. Momo glanced up at her, a little perplexed as she waited for Mina to elaborate. “It’s nearly…” Mina encouraged Momo to fill in the blanks.

“Halloween?”

“That’s one of them!”

“Um…” The older woman really pondered it for a few seconds. “November?”

“Yep! Which means it’s nearly…” Mina approached Momo from behind and hugged her around the waist.

“Nearly what?” Momo asked, confused. Taking a step back, Mina put her hands on her hips and wore a look of disbelief. Momo turned to her and shrugged, “Nearly what?”

“Your birthday?” Mina said.

“Ah…” Momo replied, a look of realisation appearing on her face as she turned her back to Mina. The brunette then stepped forward and hugged her from behind once again. “I mean, still quite a way to go yet.”

“Are you kidding?” Mina wondered genuinely, her chin resting on Momo’s shoulder. “It’s less than two weeks away!” Momo hummed in response, drumming her fingers on her phone screen. There was an abrupt change in mood and Momo exhaled.

“I’m sorry that your birthday this year wasn’t that amazing... I’ll make it up to you next year...!” Momo promised, turning in Mina’s embrace and wrapping her arms around the brunette’s neck.

“It’s okay, things were different back then,” Mina reassured, her hands sitting comfortably on Momo’s hips as she gave her a little peck on the cheek.

“I promise your 22nd birthday will be the most extravagant event ever!” Momo grinned, making Mina giggle in response. The brunette’s eyes found the clock on the wall in her living room and she sighed. “What is it?” Momo asked.

"We've gotta get ready for our Halloween thing this evening."

Momo turned her head and found the clock as well. "Damn, is it really that time already?" 15:03. "We better get going."

Mina pulled away from Momo and walked towards the bedroom, Momo following on behind her. Briefly stopping in the doorway of their bedroom, Mina quickly spun around to press a surprise kiss to Momo's lips and darted away before her girlfriend could reciprocate. "Hey!" Mina giggled as she started to get ready and Momo shook her head, the corner of her lips turning upwards.

After half an hour, there was a knock at the door. Momo sprinted to the door and opened it to reveal Jiseok. "Oh, hey Jiseok!"

"Hi, Momo," Jiseok replied with a tiny grin on his face. "Are you both ready? Where's Mina?"

"Mina!" Momo called out to her, who responded that she was nearly ready and that she'd be there soon. "Where's Eunbyul?" Momo asked Jiseok.

"She's waiting in the car," Jiseok replied, leaning against the door frame. A couple of minutes later, Mina almost tumbled out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. "Right, MiMo, let's get going."

Jogging up to Momo, the couple linked arms and followed Jiseok out of the dorm, shutting and locking the door before leaving the building with him. They found the car and climbed in the backseat, greeting Eunbyul who was sitting on the passenger's side. Jiseok sat in the driver's seat and started the engine, putting his seatbelt on before backing out the parking space and driving away from the building.

The four of them were quite talkative throughout the journey, talking about how they had been recently as well as future plans for the duo.

"Got an idea of what you want to sing at _Gayo Daejun?"_ Eunbyul wondered.

Mina and Momo exchanged looks. Truthfully, they didn't really know, so they both simply shrugged in response. The managers looked a little worried.

"You've only got a limited time to decide," Jiseok told them, and the duo made a promise there and then that they would make a choice over the next few days. Mina whispered to Momo, and Momo whispered back to Mina. The managers were curious, but the duo told them they were keeping it a secret. For the time being.

They arrived at the venue.

"Let's do this," Mina nodded once.

"Let's do this," Momo repeated, smiling.

\--

Mina was dressed as an angel, Momo as Boo from _Monsters Inc._ They stepped out on stage and waved to the thousands of fans who were chanting the duo's name.

"MiMo! MiMo! MiMo!"

The two women were floored at the sight; it had been awhile since they had stood in front of a large crowd of people. Glancing at one another, they beamed and the crowd began cheering even louder. It still took them by surprise that such a small gesture garnered such a huge response.

Looking into the crowd, they noticed that some of them were holding one lightstick, either for Mina or Momo, or two lightsticks for the both of them. It crossed their mind that they could have one as a duo one day. Simultaneously, they considered the reactions to them wanting to become a permanent duo. Instinctively, they reached for one another's hand and interlocked their fingers in the centre.

Their fans were astonished. It was definitely a complete turn around from the beginning of the year when the two women couldn't stand to be in the same room together. The energy radiating from the stage made the entire arena feel more alive as Mina and Momo talked to the crowd before performing their songs. Several fansites took pictures and videos of the event, and the two women knew that this was something they wanted to do for a long time. Stand on stage together, perform together, be together.

Centre stage, they stood shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand and gazed at one another. Their fans were still cheering as the instrumental to _Poems for You_ played in the background. They swayed to and fro, waving their opposite hand in the air, encouraging their fans to join in, which they all eventually did.

Momo let go of Mina's hand and briefly tugged on one of the wings of her costume before standing behind her and mimicking flying motions, making Mina laugh. Standing to the side, Momo let her arms fall to the side and laughed as well. Mina then twirled on the spot, Momo applauding her and they chuckled some more before turning back to the crowd.

_are you guys not seeing this?? look at them being all smiley and happy on stage, THEY'RE NOT FAKING THIS_

_okay, there is no way that this is some long drawn out act, momo tugging on mina's angel wing before flying behind her, so adorable_

_if you think they're faking at THIS point, you're just dumb_

_i can't wait until mimo announce they're becoming a permanent duo, that will shut you up, who would want to be in a permanent duo with their enemy??_

\--

The morning after, Mina woke up first and sat up in bed. Ruffling her hair, she turned to her right to see Momo lying beside her completely still, her hair sprawled out across the pillow and her cheeks a little flushed. Mina smiled to herself before lying on her right side, her head propped up on her hand. Reaching out, she removed some strands of hair out of Momo’s face, who moved a little in her sleep. Mina had always admired Momo. Every time she watched Momo dance and listened to her sing, she couldn’t ignore the subtle feeling of her heart beating just that little bit faster. But of course, she had always played the jealousy card. What part of her had wanted to do that? Mina didn’t know for sure, but all she did know was that it was no longer her, and that she was a completely different person now.

The part about her admiring Momo never changed though.

The older woman’s eyes fluttered open after a while and she yawned, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Mina said in a quiet voice, before leaning down to give Momo a kiss, which Momo returned. “You hungry?”

“Mm, am I just…” Mina giggled and moved to get out of bed when she was stopped. “No...wait...stay here for a few minutes.” Another yawn escaped Momo’s lips as Mina moved closer to her. “It’s warm.”

“It _is_ warm, very true,” said Mina. Momo snuggled closer to Mina and wrapped her arm around the brunette’s waist before pressing a kiss to her jaw.

“Did you have fun yesterday?” Momo asked, voice muffled as she buried her face in Mina’s neck. Whenever Momo did anything like this, a little voice in the back of her mind would remind her of how crazy it is that she now loved the woman lying beside her. She pressed another kiss to Mina’s jaw. She couldn’t think of any other place she’d rather be.

“So much fun, it was amazing,” Mina responded, kissing the crown of Momo’s head. “Did you?” Momo simply hummed affirmatively in response and they stayed in that position for a few minutes until Mina said, “Now, can I go make you breakfast?”

Chuckling, Momo glanced up at Mina and nodded a couple of times before the brunette moved to climb out of bed. Momo watched Mina saunter out of the room and towards the kitchen. _‘I love her so much.’_ Such an unheard of thought a year ago, and yet Momo pushed that to the back of her mind in favour of thinking about where she was at that moment. She was lying in Mina’s bed, and she grabbed the duvet and held it close to her. Momo felt at home in Mina’s bed. Mina felt at home in Momo’s bed.

They felt at home with one another.

\--

 _“What are you getting Momo for her birthday?”_ Dahyun asked over the phone. Mina hummed and turned on the spot to see Momo sitting on the sofa reading a book. Walking into the bedroom, Mina shut the door behind her and sighed.

“I really don’t know, I’ve been thinking about it since like, the start of the month it feels like.”

 _“What are your thoughts so far?”_ All Dahyun could hear was _um_ and _uh,_ and she said, _“You have no idea at all, huh?”_

“No! And it’s really annoying me because her birthday is literally in less than a fortnight!” Mina said in the lowest voice she could so that Momo couldn’t hear.

_“Okay, okay, calm. We will figure this out.”_

“The thing is...since my birthday was earlier this year...obviously things were very different in March...”

_“You’re worried that Momo will feel guilty?”_

Mina bit her bottom lip. “I don’t want her to feel that way.”

_“Okay. Well, as I said, we will figure this out. Why don’t you come over and see us in a few days? I would say today but…”_

“It’s your Halloween event today,” Mina finished her sentence.

_“Yeah and then tomorrow...Tzu and I promised Chaeyoung we’d all go out so she can get her first tattoo.”_

Mina’s eyes widened at the news. “Chae’s getting a tattoo?”

_“Yeah, she wants an arrow through the heart or something. I think she wants to get it like, below her ear.”_

“W-Wow… I didn’t know she wanted tattoos.”

 _“Oh yeah, Chae’s been wanting to get a tattoo for a while and our manager_ finally _let her get her first one! Knowing her though, she’ll have about...six by the end of the week.”_ A small chuckle could be heard and Mina blinked a few times. She wondered why Chaeyoung never mentioned it; she reckoned Chaeyoung would look really cool with a tattoo. _“Tuesday?”_

“Can’t, unfortunately. Namjoon wants us to go with him and Hobi on a lunch date.”

 _“A double date? That’s so cute!”_ Dahyun said excitedly.

“Yep, they both feel bad that we haven’t spent much time together, so they asked us if we wanted to join them and we said yes.” Mina smiled and she could tell Dahyun was doing the same. “And then well, Halloween is Halloween.”

 _“The CEOs of our companies are holding that Halloween party. And knowing them they’ll want us to start getting ready from mid-afternoon.”_ Mina laughed at the truthful statement.

“So...provided we don’t get too drunk and end up having a hangover the following morning, shall we meet up on the 1st?”

_“Sounds like a plan, friend.”_

“Thank you so much, Dahyun.”

_“Don’t mention it.”_

A lopsided grin appeared on Mina’s face. She exhaled. It was going to be okay.

And Momo’s birthday was going to be amazing.

\--

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been to this restaurant,” Momo said as she sat across from Hoseok. Mina sat to her left and Namjoon sat to the right of Hoseok.

“That’s why we chose to come here, it’s been a long time for us too. We missed it here,” Namjoon replied, picking up his glass and taking a sip of his drink.

Momo smiled and said, “I’m glad you picked this place. It’s a really nice restaurant.”

“The food’s great too,” Hoseok added. Momo nodded in agreement as the waiter came over with their meals. He set the plates down in front of each person, who thanked him as he walked away. The four of them began eating their meals in comfortable silence, speaking up every so often to make small talk.

“How was your Halloween event?” Mina asked the couple sitting opposite.

“It was really good,” Namjoon nodded. “As you know, Yoongi and I brought Hobi onstage as a guest. Next day I see more tweets saying we should become a trio.”

“Ah, that would be awesome!” Momo spoke up, her eyes reflecting the light above them. Namjoon met her eyes and smiled before looking away again.

“We’ve been talking about it with Yoongi, haven’t we?” Hoseok questioned, and Namjoon nodded. Hoseok turned his attention to Mina and Momo, “We’re actually in talks with our companies to work something out for the new year.”

The duo exchanged looks, their eyes saying the same thing. Namjoon and Hoseok noticed and lifted their eyebrows. “What’s up?” the former wondered.

“Um, well…” Mina began, turning her attention back to the opposite couple. “Momo and I have been thinking...we want to become a permanent duo at the end of the year.”

The two men smiled widely at them. “That’s great!” Hoseok beamed.

“Have you spoken to the bosses yet?” Namjoon asked. The duo shook their heads at the same time. “You should, before the award shows.” Hoseok agreed. “What about Jiseok and Eunbyul?”

“Um...no, not yet…” Momo almost mumbled.

Suddenly, the two men looked a little worried. “You should tell them about that soon. Sooner rather than later,” Hoseok told them, and the duo concurred.

They would tell them. Soon.

\--

The Halloween party went off without a hitch. Artists, actors, actresses, dancers, musicians, managers and other members of staff congregated in the biggest hall in Minchul’s company building, and they shared drinks, food, talk and laughter.

Most people surrounded Chaeyoung as she showed anyone who asked about it, her new tattoo. Sure enough, it was an arrow through the heart. Chaeyoung explained that she was already considering getting more tattoos, and wanted her next one to be some flowers on her fingers. Everyone told her how cool she looked, and Mina’s point was proven.

The duo found each other in the middle of the hall and talked among themselves. They wondered what would be the best time to tell their managers, with them eventually deciding that they should just tell them now, at the party.

Taking deep breaths in, Mina and Momo searched the hall looking for their managers before their eyes settled on the couple standing by the buffet table. Shoulder to shoulder, they approached the two of them and got their attention.

“Oh! Hi Mina, hi Momo,” Eunbyul greeted them. She already seemed slightly tipsy. The duo wondered if this was the best time. “What’s up?”

“Um, we’ll tell you tomorrow!” Mina smiled awkwardly at them, and they were about to turn away when they were stopped by Jiseok.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked.

“Oh! No...nothing’s wrong at all,” Momo reassured the two of them. “We just thought we would tell you that we’ve been thinking of staying as a permanent duo!” Mina stared at her for a few seconds, a little startled that Momo told them just like that, but then she turned to the two managers and wore a smile.

Jiseok and Eunbyul exchanged looks, then looked back at the duo. 

“We’ll talk more at a later time,” Jiseok told them. The duo nodded slowly before walking away and exhaling loudly. They took a sip of their drinks.

_We'll talk more at a later time._


	21. November: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [NOVEMBER: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2cUBrWsAAeuXg?format=jpg&name=large)

Nothing could go wrong in Mina’s mind. It was Momo’s birthday, and everything was going to be 100% perfect. The brunette stood at the kitchen counter in Momo’s dorm, making her breakfast in bed while Momo was still fast asleep. This was the first gift.

Mina tried to stay as quiet as possible as she put the breakfast together on a tray, along with a small rose in a vase on one side and a birthday card on the other. Stepping back, Mina admired the presentation and checked to make sure everything was perfect before she picked the tray up and made her way to the bedroom.

Turning around, Mina pushed the door open with her back and noticed Momo was lying on her left side, facing her. With a faint smile on her face, Mina said in a quiet voice, “Good morning, Momo. Happy birthday...!” Slowly, Momo moved around in her sleep at the sound of Mina’s voice and her eyes fluttered open, finding the brunette instantly.

The first thing Momo noticed was the tray Mina was holding, and she gradually moved to sit up in bed, rubbing her face lazily. “Good morning. Is this for me?”

“Of course!” Mina replied, setting the tray down in front of her. “Happy birthday, Momo.” The brunette leaned forward and kissed Momo on the forehead before Momo tilted her head up and met Mina’s lips briefly.

“Thank you,” Momo whispered into the kiss, wearing a grin; Mina cupped Momo’s cheeks and peppered kisses all over her face, making the older woman giggle. Mina pressed another soft kiss to her lips before pulling away and sitting beside her on the bed. Momo looked at the food in front of her: four pancakes stacked on top of one another, covered in syrup with fresh strawberries and blueberries on top and dusted with sugar. Beaming at the food, Momo turned to Mina and said, “Thank you so much.” They kissed once more before Momo turned back to her food and started eating.

“You’re welcome. Oh! Let me get you a drink,” Mina suddenly remembered, standing up. “Now would you like tea, coffee, water, juice…?”

“Coffee, please,” Momo requested, a sparkle in her eyes as she gazed at Mina. The brunette nodded once before pivoting on the spot and strolling into the kitchen to make Momo a coffee.

The pancakes were definitely the best that Momo had ever had. The coffee was exactly what Momo needed to wake her up. Momo promised she would keep the rose forever.

And the birthday card reminded Momo why she and Mina began a relationship in the first place.

_Dear Momo,_

_Happy Birthday! I hope you have the most amazingly wonderful day, you deserve it. I love you so much, never forget that. Even in just a short space of time we’ve been through a lot - can you believe it’s only been just over four months? There are so many more things I want to do with you. Every day I spend with you is an adventure. I’m so in love with you, Momo. I hope you have the most magical birthday ever._

_All my love,_

_Mina_

_♡_

\--

A single tweet seen by millions of people of Mina wishing Momo a happy birthday.

To say the reaction was insane, would’ve been an understatement.

_OMGGG did you see that???_

_mina wishing momo a happy birthday is all i really need tbh_

_If this doesn’t convince you--_

_so funny how different mina’s birthday message to momo is, like how much has happened over the past year and how close the two of them obviously are_

_i still believe their companies are getting them to do this, like the myoui mina we know would never write a message like this to momo_

The couple spent the entire day together. They played video games, watched Momo’s favourite movie, went out to get hot chocolates and took so many pictures of themselves and each other that their phone galleries were almost completely filled in a matter of hours. This was her second gift.

Throughout the day, Momo received an influx of messages from all of her friends and essentially everyone she knew. She smiled from ear to ear all day. It was truly going to be the most magical birthday ever.

Later on in the evening, Mina told Momo to get ready and wear something smart, but casual. Momo wondered where they were going but Mina kept telling her it was a surprise.

This was her third gift.

When the two of them left the dorm after getting ready, Momo wondered why the building was quieter than usual. Mina couldn’t contain her excitement as she took Momo’s hand and led her to the place where everyone would be waiting.

Inside the same hall where they held the Halloween party, the duo’s friends waited for them to arrive.

And as soon as they did, they all shouted in unison.

“Surprise!”

Momo stood in the doorway beside Mina. Her jaw dropped. Mina moved to stand opposite her and took her hands, “Happy birthday, Momo!”

The dark-haired woman held onto Mina’s hands tightly. Mina felt Momo squeeze her hands. She noticed how Momo’s face fell slightly and she immediately became worried. “What’s wrong?”

Out of nowhere, Momo buried her head in the crook of Mina’s shoulder and cried. Everyone in the hall quickly became concerned and began approaching them.

“Momo? Momo, what’s wrong?” Mina immediately asked, hugging Momo close.

“Momo? Is everything okay?” Taehyung wondered, stepping forward. Jin was directly behind him wearing a similar look of worry.

“Hey…” Mina said gently, lifting Momo’s face so she could look at her. “What’s wrong, babe?”

Momo stared at her, eyes glassy as she tried wiping away the tears. “I’m...I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” Mina thought it was absurd that she was apologising. And then it clicked in her mind. The one thing she _didn’t_ want Momo to feel. “Momo…”

“At the end of your party we argued,” Momo sobbed, running a hand through her hair. “This is so much different and it feels so unfair on you.”

“Momo…” Mina reassured her, pulling her close. “Things _were_ different, but that’s okay. Please don’t think it’s unfair.”

“But it _is!”_ Momo pulled away again. “Just knowing what this party was going to be like compared to what yours was in March. I… Thank you so much, for all of this, I just…” Momo couldn’t get her words out or explain herself properly, and she wrapped her arms around Mina’s waist. Mina returned the hug instantly and looked towards the other guests who were beginning to give the couple space. Sana began approaching them and she and Mina exchanged looks. Seeing Mina’s face, Sana nodded once in understanding and moved away.

“I’m so sorry,” Momo cried into Mina’s shoulder, now feeling embarrassed. Mina calmed her down, constantly telling her that it was okay, and that she had no reason to apologise. “I’m not...I’m not trying to be… I’m so grateful…”

“It’s okay, Momo, honestly,” Mina pressed a kiss to her crown as Taehyung appeared to Momo’s left.

“Hey, Momo?” he said, and the dark-haired woman looked up at him. He opened his arms, offering Momo a hug, which she gladly accepted as she pulled away from Mina and hugged Taehyung. “It’s gonna be okay. Mina didn’t want you to feel guilty about this,” Taehyung spoke in a calm voice. Momo almost sobbed more at hearing those words, but kept her composure. She drew back and glanced at Mina before holding out her hand, which the brunette took and they entangled their fingers.

“I love you so much, Momo.”

“I love you too, Mina.”

Taehyung took a few steps back towards Jin and the two of them gave them space as Momo pressed a long, loving kiss to Mina’s lips.

“I love you,” Momo repeated. “Thank you so much,” she whispered.

“Don’t mention it, Momo. I love you too.”

They kissed once more and shared the most affectionate embrace possible.

Momo didn’t feel guilty anymore.

\--

A few days passed. The duo were relaxing in Mina’s dorm when a sudden thought popped into the brunette’s mind.

“Wait a minute...we’re meant to be starting preparations for our last mini album of the year soon.”

The statement startled Momo a bit as she sat up and stared at Mina, “Holy shit, yeah… God, how could we have forgotten that?” Mina shrugged, a tiny, slightly incredulous chuckle escaping her lips. “When do we start?” As soon as the question was asked, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll go,” Momo said straight away, standing up and bounding towards the door before opening it. Standing there was Eunbyul and Jiseok. “Oh…! Hey!”

“Hello Momo,” greeted Jiseok.

“Can we come in?” Eunbyul asked, and Momo stood to the side. The couple entered and immediately made their way over to the lounge. “Hi, Mina!” Eunbyul said cheerily.

“Hey, what’s up?” Mina wondered as Momo shut the front door and joined the three of them.

Eunbyul and Jiseok exchanged looks then glanced at the duo. “We wanna talk about what you said to us at the Halloween party,” Jiseok opened.

“Yes, I feel it’s...definitely something we need to discuss,” Eunbyul added. Mina and Momo looked at one another apprehensively.

“So, what made you come to the decision to want to become a permanent duo?” Jiseok asked them.

“Well, um…” Mina began, turning back to them. “We talked about it, and decided that it would make the most sense, you know? We’re a couple now and if we’re a project duo at the moment, we could absolutely become a permanent duo in the new year.”

“Have you spoken to the CEOs yet?” Eunbyul questioned, and Mina and Momo pulled awkward faces. “We’ll take that as a _no_ then.”

“We do still have your third mini album to think about which, by the way, preparations for that start next week,” Jiseok explained, and the duo nodded in unison. “But between that, the release of the mini album, the promotions _and_ the award shows… There’s a lot we need to think about.”

“Yeah, there’s going to have to be a full meeting on this _with_ the CEOs, and...they’re gonna be shocked by this news, to be frank.” The duo sighed; they knew this, the thought had crossed their minds once or twice. “I mean, you started this year totally _hating_ one another, and the two of them saw that and understood at that point that none of you wanted to be a part of this, and now you’re going to reveal that you wanna be a permanent duo?”

“We know that it will be a shock, believe us. But I think it will be the best way forward and honestly, I don’t think they’ll have a problem with it,” Momo said confidently, surprising Mina a little, though deep down she hoped it would be true.

“Okay...if you truly think so. I think in order for there to be enough time to sort out contracts and things - _if_ they agree - then we will have to do it soon,” Eunbyul told them.

“Before you start preparations for the third mini album. It’s the last one of the year so it’s going to be a lot more work,” Jiseok stated. Mina and Momo both suppressed a sarcastically excited comment and opted to sigh instead. They exchanged glances.

"What do you think, Mina?" Momo wondered.

Mina hummed, "Well, if you still want to go forward with being a permanent duo," Momo nodded sincerely, "then we will talk to our bosses about it." Their managers nodded in response and Mina continued, "I think you two should be there as well." She turned to the couple who gazed at one another before turning back to the duo.

Momo pondered it for a few seconds, "Yeah, I agree. You two should be there."

"Okay then, if you think us being will help…" Eunbyul said, and the duo indicated that they thought so. "We'll arrange for the meeting to take place on Monday."

The duo thanked their managers and they all stood up and made their way to the front door. Momo opened the door and the duo bid their managers goodbye as they left.

Upon closing the door, Momo pressed her back to it and the two of them exhaled rather loudly.

"Monday," she said.

"Monday," Mina repeated.

\--

The weekend flew by and before they knew it, it was Monday and the duo were sitting in a conference room opposite their bosses with their managers either side of them.

The same conference room where everything began. Mina and Momo interlocked hands underneath the table as Minchul said, "So, what can we do for you?"

The duo eyed one another, nerves building up. Over the weekend they had considered how they should go about explaining it, and they thought they had worked out the best way to, but found practising how they were going to say it in the comfort of their own dorm was a _much_ different experience from actually sitting in front of their bosses.

"Um, well…" Momo stuttered a little.

"We're here because, well…" Mina tried continuing, but her voice faltered. "We um…"

Minchul and Kyungho looked back and forth between the two women before looking over at their managers.

Momo drummed her fingers on the table, "We…" She let out an exhale. "We...wanted to talk to you about some...ideas we had... for the new year."

It took a few seconds for the words to register. "Ideas?" Kyungho wondered.

They nodded. "Yes...we knew we had to do it soon," Mina stated. Minchul raised an eyebrow and Kyungho folded his arms. "We've been thinking...we want to become…"

"A permanent duo!" Momo finished her sentence. The CEOs exchanged looks, and Eunbyul and Jiseok frankly looked nervous, and extremely so.

"You want to become a permanent duo?" Minchul questioned. "What happened? Because at the start of the year you two were about to rip each other's hair out."

They both knew they couldn't talk about their relationship. "We've...learned a lot about one another over this past year," Mina explained.

"Yes, we...we learned that our feud was...unnecessary!" Momo announced, and the CEOs stared at one another, like that should've been an obvious statement. "What we mean is…" Momo exhaled, a little exasperated.

"We've figured out over the past year that it was just... jealousy. Pointless jealousy that didn't do any of us any favours, and we talked about it, and we've now become very good friends." _Girlfriends._

Minchul and Kyungho fell silent hearing the information. They had wondered about the video that the duo posted. When they asked, the duo simply replied that they posted the video for the fans to see that they weren't enemies. Of course, a handful of people still believed they were, but Mina and Momo had since decided to not focus on that anymore.

The room was quiet for a short while. Eunbyul and Jiseok sat still in their chairs. Mina and Momo were still holding hands underneath the table. They watched their bosses talk about it among themselves just a short distance away from the table. When they returned, it was clear they had made their decision.

And the duo listened attentively.

Preparations for their third mini album started just days later.

They knew they had to put the work in.


	22. November: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [NOVEMBER: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWy7OZ6XkAAhJNf?format=png&name=small)

November seemed like a tougher month to work through for Mina and Momo. They didn’t know why, but something about this being their final mini album of the year seemed to make the workload feel even bigger. It was probably at the same level as the work they did for the first two mini albums, but it was like they were pouring _everything_ into this one.

By this point, the _full collaborative effort_ that their bosses had talked about at the start of the year was finally being realised. MiMo had helped compose every song on their album, of which there were six, and they also helped write them all as well. Four of the songs they wrote together, one song was written by Mina, and the remaining song by Momo. When they had heard the entire album for the first time after recording it, they beamed happily at one another while holding hands. _This_ was on a whole new level.

“I heard a small snippet of your title track. It was amazing!” Seulgi told Momo as they stood beside one another in the practice room. Mina had to do something beforehand, and Seulgi’s fellow members (or boyfriends), were running a little late.

“Really? Thank you so much, although I hope you only heard a little bit of the song. No spoilers!”

Seulgi nodded once assuredly before turning to see Jaebeom walk through the door, “Hello, you.”

“Hi, sorry about that. Yugyeom’s not too far behind, he’ll be here in a sec,” Jaebeom replied, waltzing up to Seulgi. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before moving to drop his bag in front of the mirror. Seulgi looked back at Momo, who eyed her with a smirk. 

Rolling her eyes, a grin playing on her lips, Seulgi folded her arms and said to Jaebeom, “I was just telling Momo that we heard a little bit of their title track.”

“Oh, yeah!” Jaebeom confirmed, sauntering up to Seulgi and draping an arm over her shoulder. “It’s a really good song! Can’t wait to hear the full thing.” Momo smiled gratefully before they all turned their attention to Yugyeom entering the room. They all greeted him and he waved back before joining his group. Momo smiled at the three of them; they all looked so adorable and Momo’s heart couldn’t help but feel full seeing them. She felt glad they were able to work out their feelings.

“Oh, wait,” Seulgi suddenly said. Jaebeom and Yugyeom looked down at her.

“What’s up?” Jaebeom wondered. Seulgi gazed at him and hid her lips.

“We’re not in this practice room today,” she whispered before chuckling. Jaebeom backed away from Seulgi, looked at Yugyeom, then at Momo, who shrugged, trying to suppress laughter of her own. He shook his head, scoffing a chuckle before moving to pick up his bag. Yugyeom started laughing as he took Seulgi’s hand; they interlocked fingers and began leaving the room.

“I feel like a dumbass now,” Jaebeom joked as he picked up his bag and Momo laughed behind her hand. As he was about to leave, Mina pushed open the door and strolled in. When she saw the trio, she greeted them with a smile.

“He thought we were practising here.” Yugyeom indicated the man behind him whose face was slightly pink from embarrassment. Mina chuckled and shook her head lightly before standing beside Momo and wrapping her arms around her torso. Momo returned the hug, pecking Mina’s cheek.

The trio bid the duo goodbye as they left, still chuckling. Mina and Momo sighed simultaneously before glancing at one another, noticing what had happened and laughing again. “Shall we?” Mina wondered. Momo nodded once. Another peck to the lips.

They were suddenly reminded of what they had been like months before. Quickly pushed it to the back of their minds. That didn’t matter anymore.

\--

All three albums seemed to have completely different concepts, and this wasn’t lost on the duo, nor on their friends.

“You’ve been all over the place with these releases,” Nayeon commented as she laid quite lazily on the sofa in the hers and Jihyo’s apartment. The duo sat across from her, Mina crossed legged and Momo hugging her knees to her chest. It was the day they released their logo teaser.

“Honestly, yeah, we have been,” Mina concurred matter-of-factly, making Momo snort a little at the bluntness. “First time round we sang like an electronic dance number, second time round we sang a ballad, third time round?” Mina turned to Momo.

“It’s more on the acoustic side, right?” the dark-haired woman asked. The brunette nodded and Nayeon hummed.

“Your fans have even noticed how different the concepts are. They’ve been comparing the logo teasers,” Nayeon made a point of saying. Mina and Momo shared a quick glance, having seen that already. “It’s interesting to see what theories they come up with.”

“Theories?” Jihyo asked from afar as she stopped in the doorway of her bedroom, adjusting her top.

“Yeah, their fans have been coming up with theories. I even saw one that said the letters being 3D for their third comeback while the first two logos had 2D letters, symbolise how much the duo have grown over the past year in terms of their friendship with one another.”  
Mina and Momo stared at one another, then stared at Nayeon, mildly concerned if not also intrigued. Nayeon nodded and told them that yes, that _is_ something she really saw.

Jihyo chimed in as she walked into the living room to sit on the arm of the sofa Nayeon was lying across, noting the lack of space, “I think I saw one theory that said the logo teaser having the sky as the background symbolised the fact that they were now on cloud nine.” The other three women stared at her before she cracked, “Okay, no, I kid, I didn’t see a theory like that.”

“Probably exists, though,” Nayeon thought. Jihyo stood up from the arm of the chair and nudged Nayeon to get her to move so she could sit down. Reluctantly, Nayeon did so, pouting a little. Mina and Momo watched them sit beside one another, Jihyo resting her head on Nayeon’s shoulder as they relaxed.

“So, when are you two becoming a duo?” Momo teased slightly, crossing one leg over the other. Jihyo’s eyes widened as Nayeon snorted a little.

“We may be girlfriends but honestly, we figured out from day one that being in a duo would not work for us,” Jihyo admitted, lifting her head. The duo across from them both lifted an eyebrow curiously. “We have different music tastes, different styles. If we were in a duo together we would never release new music.” Jihyo let out a chuckle and Nayeon rolled her eyes a little, unable to suppress the smile that had worked its way onto her lips.

“You managed to make it work for two collabs, though,” Mina made a point of saying.

“Yes but, they were collaborations,” Jihyo stated, and the couple opposite were now even more confused, wondering what made it so different. Jihyo sighed. “The thing with being in a duo is, as I’m sure you’ve realised, you have to constantly work together.”

Mina and Momo nodded, still failing to see the connection. Nayeon exhaled.

“Basically, what Jihyo is trying to say, is for the sake of our relationship we decided to not be in a duo so we wouldn’t constantly rip each other’s hair out.”

“We wouldn’t _rip each other’s hair out,”_ Jihyo said, “but we may run into more needless arguments because of how different our approaches are to our work. Sometimes people in a relationship can work together, sometimes they can’t. And of course we don’t completely ignore each other’s work I mean, as you said, we’ve collaborated twice.”

“But that first time was our companies deciding we should collaborate and the second time was us choosing to do so because one, we love one another and two, everyone wanted us to collaborate again.” The two looked at one another, their lips close as they smirked before Jihyo turned her head away.

“Yes but the point still stands. We love each other and constantly want to support one another. But we also know ourselves so being in a duo wouldn’t be right for us.”

“Yeah, it’s better for us when it comes to that sort of thing to work separately, while also being one another’s biggest hype woman when it comes to new releases or projects either one of us is working on. Best of both worlds, really,” Nayeon explained, casually putting her arm around Jihyo’s shoulder and kissing her temple. Jihyo rested her head on Nayeon’s shoulder once more and smiled.

Mina and Momo exchanged looks. For a brief second, they thought about how they went from essentially ripping each other’s hair out, to being able to tolerate one another, to being able to combine a relationship with work.

They thought about Jihyo’s words. _Sometimes people in a relationship can work together, sometimes they can’t._

Mina rested her hand on Momo’s thigh. Looked at the couple in front of them. Thought about TATTOO. Thought about Joohyun and Seungwan. How different they all were.

Smiled to herself as Momo placed her head on Mina’s shoulder.

\--

_they’ve started a vlive!!_

_omg mimo are on vlive right now_

_mimo vlive!!_

_MN: Hey everyone! It’s been a while._

_MM: Hello everyone._

_The two of them waved to the camera and saw the comments flood in. The viewer count grew, as did the amount of hearts._

_MN: How is everyone?_

_The duo began seeing comments from viewers telling them how they were, and the two of them smiled. This was their second VLive ever, and they weren’t going to abruptly end it this time._

_MM: We missed you guys, it’s been a long time._

_They sat on one of the sofas in the living room of Momo’s dorm. Momo’s head was resting on Mina’s shoulder. Mina rested her cheek against the top of Momo’s head._

_MN: It’s been a tough month. We’ve been working really hard for our third mini album._

_They chose not to say ‘final’._

_MM: Are you looking forward to our third mini album?_

_There were multiple comments showing excitement, and they all wondered what the new song would sound like._

_MN: Are we allowed to give spoilers? Should we give them a hint about the song?_

_Mina looked down at Momo who hummed pensively. She pouted slightly and turned back to the camera._

_MM: Maybe a small hint? What should we say?_

_Momo lifted her head so that Mina could whisper in her ear. Grinning, Momo nodded as Mina pulled away; they both looked at the camera._

_MM: It’s gonna be more acoustic than the other two._

_MN: A little slower, a lot more laid-back I’d say._

_They both nodded and watched as people told them how excited they were to hear it._

_oh my god an acoustic song!!_

_i’m so excited for this comebackkk_

_The VLive continued, and fans noticed the more relaxed nature of it, not to mention how close MiMo were. Mina showed Momo off cooking lunch for the two of them as they were in her dorm, and people were astonished to say the least._

_holy shit they’re in momo’s dorm and momo is cooking for the two of them sdhjksdfj_

_wow they’re really like best friends now huh_

_mimo girlfriends_

_MN: Out of the two of us, Momo cooks more often._

_Momo immediately blushed at that statement, looking towards the camera (or more to the point, Mina herself) with a tiny grin on her face. She returned her attention to the stove in front of her._

_MM: I do cook more often but that doesn’t mean Mina doesn’t cook at all._

_MN: Very true, sometimes I help._

_MM: You help?_

_Momo chuckled lightly in disbelief, knowing Mina was joking a little._

_MN: Yeah, I help!_

_They both laughed as Momo continued cooking. A few minutes later, lunch was ready and they sat down at the table. Mina propped her phone up against the plant pot sitting in the centre of the table, and waved a little before they both began eating._

_they’re so adorable, who would’ve thought they hated each other several months ago_

_honestly, if you told me that they were enemies a year ago, i wouldn’t believe you_

_they seem so close?? like really close?? omg they’re such best friends_

_i’m so proud of how much they’ve grown. they’ve clearly seen that they had some shit to sort out and they’ve managed to do that. i know for a fact they wouldn’t fake any of this for the cameras, mina and momo are not like that._

_Mina and Momo gazed at one another briefly before breaking eye contact._

_A much calmer live stream. A much more positive fan response. Their hands found each other under the table and they interlocked fingers._

_Things were looking up, and they were so grateful for that fact._


	23. December: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [DECEMBER: PART 1](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EXyH2lPUYAIBOt0?format=png&name=small)

_"Can you believe it's the end of the year already?"_ Sana mused on the other end of the phone.

"Oh God, don't say that," Momo groaned, resting her palm on her forehead, "the year's gone by too fast for my liking. Would like to stay in December for as long as possible please."

Momo could hear Sana's giggle. _"I apologise, for I am not a genie. Therefore I cannot grant your wish."_

"What a shame," Momo replied, playing along with the joke before they both chuckled.

 _"Hey!"_ Sana began after their laughter died down. _"Your music video's being released in three days!"_ Momo hummed, a smile on her face. _"Excited?"_

"Yep! Can't wait," the dark-haired woman replied, collapsing onto her sofa and resting her head on the back of it.

_"Neither can I! It's gonna be so good! Say, when are you two...you know?"_

"SBS Gayo Daejun." Sana hummed in response, then smiled broadly.

_"So exciting!"_

Momo definitely agreed with that.

\--

"How long did it take?" Tzuyu wondered as she stood beside Mina in SMC's kitchen. The two of them were busy making lunch.

"How long did--" Mina began to ask, then caught on to what Tzuyu was talking about. "Not too long. I'd say the meeting lasted about fifteen, twenty minutes."

A pout appeared on Tzuyu's lips then quickly disappeared. They stood in comfortable silence for a while before they both heard Dahyun's voice behind them.

"Yes! Yes I'm aware! I know! Look, I'll call you about it tomorrow, okay? Bye!" Dahyun hung up the phone and groaned rather loudly. Her words trailed off in a series of mumbles under her breath and Mina and Tzuyu were certain there was some profanity mixed in.

"What's going on?" Tzuyu openly asked, back still turned.

"Namjoon phoned me," Dahyun replied, staring down at her phone and huffing before placing it face down on the counter.

"Still doing your collab stage?" Mina questioned.

"Well we _should_ be. Problem is we don't have a song that we're performing." At that, Mina and Tzuyu turned inwards to look at Dahyun, who raised her eyebrows and nodded quite vigorously. "Yep! I know!"

"Shouldn't you have picked out your song ages ago?" Mina asked.

"The thing is, Namjoon and I initially didn't know what song we wanted to sing. Then we had the idea to sing an original song but they said it had to be a cover. And then we were stuck messaging each other back and forth trying to pick a goddamn song. And _then_ when we finally chose our song, it turned out our managers had an entirely different idea for us and that instead of him and I performing as a duo, Chaeyoung and Yoongi should join us too.”

"But wait, weren't Chaeyoung and Yoongi already going to perform as a duo? They picked out their song and everything!" a confused Tzuyu said.

"Indeed we did!" Chaeyoung chimed in, appearing to the left of Dahyun. "But we got told the other day that our managers wanted us to perform as four, and the song Yoongi and I picked only really works as a duo."

"And you have less than a fortnight to pick your new song, learn it, rehearse it, and perfect it?" Mina asked. Dahyun and Chaeyoung slowly nodded their heads, clearly peeved, though not with the fact they were going to perform together, or as a four with Namjoon and Yoongi. "Damn…"

"So now both Namjoon and Yoongi are pissed, that's why Namjoon's just phoned me," Dahyun explained. Mina and Tzuyu both sighed sympathetically before turning back to the lunch preparations. Chaeyoung's phone buzzed; she pulled it out of her pocket.

"Ah, it's Yoongi." She answered it. "Hey Yoongi!" Chaeyoung walked away from the kitchen, leaving Dahyun to huff dramatically, a strand of hair flying upwards before falling again. She huffed more to get it out of the way before taking her phone and sauntering to her bedroom.

Mina and Tzuyu chuckled a little and shook their heads.

"Crazy, though," Mina said genuinely, and Tzuyu had to agree.

"Wanna know what's even crazier?" Mina hummed curiously, waiting for Tzuyu to continue. "You and Momo."

Grinning to herself, Mina briefly stopped what she was doing to ponder it. Like she hadn't been thinking about it constantly since the day they first kissed.

She always liked Momo. She didn't know why she let her jealousy get in the way. It still made no sense to her.

"I'm proud of you," Tzuyu stated. Mina glanced to her right. Tzuyu met her eyes. "Seriously. I'm proud. You two managed to work out your differences and, what do you know? It led to you _dating."_

"I know… Sometimes I can't believe it actually happened. I think Momo feels the same way. But then we hug and we kiss and it's like the feud never took place."

"But you do realise you can't act like there was never a feud between you two. As needless as it was, it's a part of your growth. It plays a massive part in how you and Momo even got together. I think you should honour it."

"Honour the thing that made us constantly pick fights with one another?" Mina was sceptical.

"Honour the thing that made you realise _why_ you picked fights with one another that led to you understanding why you don't need to and shouldn't anymore."

The words stuck with Mina. She reminded herself to relay it to Momo later. "Thank you, Tzu."

Tzuyu smiled softly at her. "Any time, Mina."

\--

There were two days left until the music video's official release.

Mina and Momo found themselves mostly lying in wait and twiddling their thumbs, unable to contain their anticipation. It was definitely the music video they were proudest of, because they had put everything into it.

Sitting down on the sofa in her dorm, Mina drank from her glass of lemonade and watched TV. Momo was busy showering.

Beside her, her phone sat on the sofa and suddenly lit up as it buzzed. She picked it up and unlocked it to find a message from Seungwan.

_'Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen or spoken to them.'_

She recalled herself and Momo getting both of their numbers the first day they went to Jihyo's company.

**_Seungwan_ **

**_Hey Mina! It's been a while! Joo and I wanted to know if you wanted to come and have lunch with us today :)_ **

Grinning at her phone screen, Mina took another sip of her lemonade. As if on cue, Momo stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a red oversized jumper and jeans. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel.

Mina turned to her and said, "Seungwan's just messaged me wanting to know if we wanted to join her and Joohyun for lunch."

"Oh!" Momo eyes widened a little. "You wanna go?"

"I wouldn't mind, it's been a while since we've seen them."

Momo nodded in agreement, "Then let them know!" A broad smile appeared on her face and she pivoted on the spot to head to their bedroom.

Mina turned back to her phone.

**_We'd love to :) Whereabouts?_ **

**_Seungwan_ **

**_Well we were thinking about you two coming over to our apartment??_ **

Mina pouted briefly then relayed the information back to Momo, calling out to her.

"Tell her we'll be round in half an hour!" Momo shouted. Rolling her eyes a little, Mina replied to Seungwan's message saying exactly that. She drank the rest of her lemonade.

**_Seungwan_ **

**_Awesome! We'll see you then! :D Oh, btw, here’s the address:_ **

Standing up, Mina ambled over to the kitchen to place her glass in the sink. Her phone buzzed again and she saw the message from Seungwan telling her the address. Mina stretched her arms before turning to go to their bedroom and get ready.

\--

About half an hour later, Mina and Momo arrived at the apartment of Seungwan and Joohyun. Mina knocked on the door three times and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Seungwan.

The blonde’s eyes lit up as she smiled, elated to see them. “Hello!” Seungwan sang, stepping forward to hug the both of them, which the couple reciprocated while chuckling, saying _hi_ as well. Stepping back, Seungwan clasped her hands together and said, “Long time no see! Come in! Come in! Make yourselves at home.” She stood to the side and Mina and Momo walked into the apartment, gazing around. They had never been to Seungwan and Joohyun’s place before, and they were instantly mesmerised by the look of it. Seungwan shut the door and passed them to go to the kitchen as Joohyun appeared in the lounge.

“Hey!” she greeted, and the couple smiled at her. Joohyun approached the two of them and hugged them as well. “How are you two?” They pulled away after a little while.

“Not too bad, yourself?” Momo replied as the trio moved to sit on the sofas.

“Ah, we’re doing alright,” Joohyun replied, crossing one leg over the other. “It’s been a while since we last saw you!”

“Yeah, a few months I think,” said Mina. Joohyun nodded, an apologetic look on her face.

“We’re so sorry we couldn’t attend your party, Momo, we were just so busy preparing the end of year award shows.”

“That’s okay, I know your company starts preparing quite early for them,” Momo replied, and Joohyun nodded, her expression conveying her disbelief at the very fact.

“I mean,” the older woman sighed, “it’s good to be prepared. But we started preparations back in August!”

“Wow, our managers only started thinking about the preparations in September!” Mina explained, looking a little surprised.

“Yep well, our managers don’t want us fumbling over any little detail well into December so that’s why we start so early.” Mina bit her bottom lip, thinking about the current situation Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Namjoon and Yoongi were in. The sudden concerned look on her face made Joohyun tilt her to the side. “What’s up?” Shaking her head a little, Mina explained the situation to Joohyun, and the older woman pulled an awkward face, along with Momo. “Oh dear.”

“Wait, really?” Momo chimed in. Mina turned to her and nodded. “Damn…”

At that moment, Seungwan walked into the room and glanced at the trio. “I detect a tense air about the place, is everything okay?” She moved to sit beside Joohyun.

“Yeah, it’s just Mina was telling us about a sticky situation a few of her labelmates have found themselves in,” stated Joohyun.

“Oh, really? Regarding what?” Mina told Seungwan the story and the blonde blinked a few times, shocked to hear about it. “Wow…”

“Yep. Hearing about how you two start preparations so early made me think of that situation. I just hope they can get something sorted out for Gayo Daejun,” Mina hoped.

“Me too that’s...not the ideal situation,” Seungwan let out a chuckle. The others shook their heads slowly in agreement; they then sat in comfortable silence for a few seconds. “Lunch will be ready in a few,” Seungwan informed.

Some time later, they sat around a table and began eating lunch, engaging in small talk about what they had all been up to since the last time they saw one another.

“I can’t believe it’s the end of the year already,” Joohyun shook her head in amazement. “Where the hell has this year gone?”

“It’s gone by too fast,” Seungwan agreed. “When did we last see each other?”

“I think it was during preparations for our first mini album, which was back in…” Momo pondered it. “February, right?”

Mina nodded, “Yep. February.”

“Damn well, we _definitely_ should’ve made plans to meet up earlier this year,” said Seungwan, unable to fathom why they hadn’t done so.

“New Year’s resolution for 2019: spend more time with Mina and Momo,” Joohyun added, and Mina and Momo giggled a little at that. The two of them did want to become good friends with the couple. Then, a sudden thought popped into Momo’s head.

“Seungwan…” she began, and the blonde’s eyebrows perked up as she hummed. “I wanted to apologise.” Seungwan looked confused. “For what happened back in February.”

Across from Momo, Joohyun sat, eyebrows knitted together, wondering what the dark-haired woman was talking about. Then it clicked. “Ah,” she muttered under her breath. Seungwan looked back and forth between the two women then looked at Mina opposite, who shrugged her shoulders.

“When you said…” Momo took a moment to collect her thoughts, exhaling. “When you said that Mina and I should start dating if all else fails, I laughed right in your face. I know you probably meant it as a bit of a tongue-in-cheek joke and, Joohyun was a little bewildered at your suggestion, the fact that Mina and I _have_ started dating I just...I think about that a lot and I wanted to say sorry.”

Seungwan tugged at the inside of her lip. She thought about it for a little while. And then a little while longer.

“Hmm. Well, to be honest, it was kind of a joke…”

“I thought you were being serious,” Joohyun looked over at her.

“Well...I wasn’t being _serious_ per se...but in the back of my mind I did think it would be cute if you started dating. But then Joohyun nudged me and reminded me of the fact that you two were the ones who had the feud and were seen as public enemies so then it grew very awkward and you laughed…” Seungwan’s ramble made the atmosphere grow just that little more tense.

“You said _if all else fails,”_ Joohyun raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah that was the joking part of it.”

The room fell silent.

“But in the back of your mind you were seriously giving them the advice to start dating,” Joohyun now raised both eyebrows.

“Why do you think I look so embarrassed when you gave me the nudge?”

Another pause. The gears were turning in Joohyun’s mind.

“I see,” she simply said before going back to eating.

Seungwan glanced back and forth between Mina and Momo who were in the middle of exchanging looks. Momo looked back at her. “Look, I’m really sorry for even saying it in the first place when it clearly wasn’t an appropriate time to do so,” Seungwan apologised. Momo smiled softly, as did Mina.

“It’s okay, I knew you weren’t being _totally_ serious,” Momo stated, and Seungwan seemed surprised. “But at the same time, I’m sorry for just outright laughing when...I had had feelings for Mina for a while and everything else seemed to mask that.” Seungwan’s gaze softened as she understood Momo’s words. She turned back to her food and carried on eating.

Mina and Momo glanced at one another, a soft grin playing on their lips. They briefly held one another’s hand underneath the table before they too continued to eat.

The lunch was pleasant.

\--

A couple of hours (and two bottles of wine) later, a tipsy Mina and Momo waved goodbye to an equally tipsy Seungwan, Joohyun having already started to sober up. They all made a mental note to keep in touch with one another a lot more and to meet up again before the year ended.

Eunbyul and Jiseok waited outside for them in the former’s car, a little peeved that they had to pick up two slightly drunk women up from someone else’s apartment in the late afternoon, but they both bit their tongue and smiled when the couple got into the car. They were both a giggly mess as they greeted their managers, who turned inwards to stare at them.

Shaking her head, Eunbyul said to Mina, “Jiseok’s gonna take your car back to the dorm.” Jiseok pressed a kiss to Eunbyul’s forehead before stepping out of the car and shutting the door. He walked over to Mina’s car and climbed in.

Eunbyul turned to face the wheel again, “How much have you had to drink?”

“I’ve had two glasses of wine,” Momo told her, and Mina nodded to say she also had two glasses. “We had two bottles between the four of us.”

“I’m assuming Seungwan and Joohyun also had two glasses,” Eunbyul wondered, and the couple nodded, Mina’s head on Momo’s shoulder.

“They assured us they’ll be fine. Joohyun was already starting to sober up as we left,” Momo explained, and Eunbyul nodded. The couple put their seatbelts on and Eunbyul pulled out of the driveway, Jiseok following on in Mina’s car.

The journey was quite quiet, the only sound being Mina and Momo mumbling to one another and the radio playing on low volume. By the time they arrived back at the dorm, the sobriety had started to kick in slowly.

Eunbyul pulled into one of the parking spaces and looked at the couple in the rearview mirror, “Don’t forget. Tomorrow you’re rehearsing for your showcase.”

The two of them groaned a little, but Eunbyul knew that was just the alcohol talking.

“Get some good rest. We’re leaving for the venue at 11am tomorrow.” It wasn’t even 6pm but Eunbyul was talking like it was night time. The couple understood why she mentioned it though.

“Thanks, Byul,” Momo slurred her words slightly as Mina lifted her head. They unclasped their seatbelts and got out of the car.

“Cheers, Byul!” Mina called out to her as Momo shut the door. Eunbyul also stepped out of the car, locking the door before standing to the left of Momo. Soon after, Jiseok arrived and parked Mina’s car before getting out, locking it and jogging over to the trio. He stood to the right of Mina and the two managers helped guide the couple into the building.

“We’ll be fine,” Mina protested quietly, but the managers were adamant that they would make sure the two of them got back to Mina’s dorm safely.

They escorted the couple into the building, up the stairs and towards Mina’s dorm. Mina unlocked the door and they both ambled in before turning around and waving goodbye. The brunette was beginning to sober up.

“See you tomorrow,” Jiseok said, and Mina and Momo nodded at them, thanking them before shutting the door. The two managers exhaled simultaneously before taking each other’s hand and exiting the building together to go back to Eunbyul’s place. Much like Mina and Momo, they spent most of their time at each other’s apartments.

Just as they reached Eunbyul’s car, Jiseok stopped and turned to face her. “Why did you stop them from changing the date of the release?”

It seemed like such a random question, but Eunbyul understood what he was talking about. “Why would they want to change it in the first place?”

Jiseok tilted his head to the side, “You _know_ why they wanted to change it.”

Shaking her head in a defiant manner, Eunbyul said, “The release of their music is more important.”

Exhaling, Jiseok looked her in the eyes, “Byul… They want to put you first.”

“But why? It’s just my birthday. It would be like any other day. You know I’m not big on birthdays.”

“But your 30th birthday?” Eunbyul folded her arms and stared at the taller man.

“I don’t want all eyes on me. Do you know how low-key my last ten birthdays have been? Even if it is considered a milestone, I don’t want something major. Especially not on the day of release!” Jiseok stepped forward and put his hands on Eunbyul’s waist. Unfolding her arms, Eunbyul rested her hands on his chest. “I remember your 30th birthday.”

Jiseok chuckled a little, recalling the small get together they had back in May. 22nd May.

“That was just three days before I asked you out,” he said.

“Why didn’t you ask sooner?” Eunbyul wondered, wrapping her arms around Jiseok’s neck.

Jiseok almost scoffed at the question, _“Because_ I had no idea how to, I was extremely shy and we had only spoken to each other on a few occasions.”

Hiding her lips, a blush forming on her cheeks, Eunbyul said, “I’m thankful we got to know each other.”

“As am I,” Jiseok replied, and their lips met as he pulled Eunbyul closer. “And I’ll make sure your 30th birthday is one you won’t forget,” he whispered. Eunbyul couldn’t help but smirk as they kissed once more; they pulled away after a while and got into the car.

Her face was now red and a grin played on his lips. She started the engine and drove away from the dorm to head back to her apartment.

\--

“Now, you’ve done this twice before, you two know the drill,” Eunbyul called to the duo from the audience as Mina and Momo stood on stage.

The day before the release of their music video was spent rehearsing for the comeback showcase, and they had already been there for two hours.

“Can we take five? My feet feel like they’re about to fall off,” said Momo, raising one hand, her microphone in the other.

“Just half an hour longer then we’ll be going for lunch,” Jiseok told them. Stagehands and technicians were everywhere, some of them milling about by the sound system, others either side of the stage making sure the pyrotechnics worked, and some backstage figuring out the lighting. Suddenly, one technician accidentally set a pyrotechnic off, making everyone in the room jump.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Momo let out in a state of shock, Mina clinging to her.

“Sorry!” the technician in question responded. “Well, now we know that one works!” he tried to joke, but it was clear no one found it funny as the others stared at him in disbelief.

“Great, now we have to set that all up again!” another technician complained, and they got to work. “And _don’t_ set it off this time!”

As quickly as they could the duo calmed themselves down so they could prepare for another runthrough of the title song and the two side tracks they were performing.

 _‘How many hours does it take to rehearse three songs?’_ Mina thought, and judging by the look on Momo’s face, she knew they shared the sentiment.

They stood in their starting positions, and Jiseok gave the thumbs up to the people standing by the sound system for them to play the title track. However, they had the wrong song set up and the first B-side they would be performing started playing instead.

The duo immediately noticed and relaxed, putting their hands on their hips.

“Seriously?” Eunbyul muttered under her breath. The main sound technician scrambled to play the right song as the duo opted to stand in their starting positions and wait patiently.

Finally, the right song played and they began performing, but the lighting was all wrong.

“Stop! Stop! Pause!” Jiseok called from the audience. The music stopped. Eunbyul put her head in her hands.

 _‘Everything was going right earlier,’_ she thought.

Mina and Momo were annoyed too. They stopped dancing to hear the person responsible for the lighting yell, “Sorry!”

Getting into their starting positions once again, the sound technician played the song from the beginning once again. It started, and the lighting was right this time. Jiseok and Eunbyul watched with smiles on their faces, as Mina and Momo put everything into the performance.

It was all going well, and Mina and Momo reached the bridge, when out of the blue, smoke billowed out of the smoke machine and covered the entire stage in a grey dust cloud within seconds.

The stagehand had mistakenly turned on the smoke machine not realising there was a malfunction.

“Shit!” she shouted from the side of the stage, and others helped her to turn the smoke machine off. “Wish someone would’ve told me that something was wrong with that machine!”

“We thought you knew!” another woman shouted.

Mina and Momo were helped down the stairs towards the audience by their managers as they continued to cough and splutter. They turned and gazed at the cloud of smoke covering the stage and sighed.

Eunbyul and Jiseok were quite livid.

“Okay, how about we have an early lunch, yeah?” Eunbyul said, forcing a smile.

“Agreed,” Jiseok exhaled.

\--

Inside one of the conference rooms within Jihyo’s company building, Mina and Momo stood with their managers, bosses and staff members. They all clinked glasses in the centre as their third music video was released.

Gradually, comments and fan reactions were posted online, showing how much they loved the song and the video. Messages from their friends filled their notifications and the two of them noticed how much they had grown over the course of an entire year.

It still felt surreal to them.

After a while, Mina and Momo ditched their glasses of wine and stepped out of the conference room to have some quiet time to themselves. They sat on one of the sofas in the lobby and took a moment to let everything sink in for the third time.

“All of this...it still feels like a dream almost,” Mina confessed.

“I know _exactly_ what you mean,” Momo smiled.

They fell silent for a while, then Mina spoke up, “Tzuyu said something to me the other day.” Momo turned her head to gaze at the brunette. Mina looked back at her. “She said we should honour the feud we had.” For a few seconds, Momo looked puzzled. Then Mina explained, and her expression changed to one of understanding. Momo reached for Mina’s hand and kissed the back of it.

“I can’t wait to go into 2019 with you,” Momo said, softly. Mina bit the inside of her bottom lip, before leaning in to kiss Momo’s lips. The older woman returned the kiss, and they smiled into it before pulling away only slightly.

“I can’t wait either,” Mina replied.

Their smiles grew wider. Their hands interlocked.

It was only the two of them.


	24. December: Part 2 [M]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [DECEMBER: PART 2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYQxlgHXkAEb6xF?format=png&name=small)

The dressing rooms at SBS Gayo Daejun were filled to the brim with people. There was a definite restless atmosphere as staff members, artists, managers, stagehands and technicians ran around all over the place trying to make sure everything was perfect.

Among these people were Mina and Momo, sitting down in front of the mirrors in their dressing room while make-up artists and hair stylists worked tirelessly trying to get them both ready for their performance.

It was an endless onslaught of eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, lipstick, straighteners and hairspray. Constant touch ups of the same area three or four times over, even when the make-up artist was  _ certain  _ they had made it look as neat as possible.

Even when the duo was standing up and getting ready to leave, they weren’t given breathing space for more than five seconds before there was another bit of highlighter applied here, a little bit more mascara added there, and the wardrobe stylists were forever rearranging their outfits, making sure they looked just right.

“Okay MiMo, go out there and smash it! You look incredible, now go out and there and nail it!” Eunbyul encouraged.

“Good luck! You’re gonna be amazing!” Jiseok told them, and Mina and Momo hugged the two of them tightly (as best as they could without ruining their makeup). They then pulled away and waved at everyone in the room before leaving to walk to the stage.

From the audience, they had watched everyone else perform.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Namjoon and Yoongi had performed their cover, and wowed everyone with how explosive their staging was. People said that they should collaborate more often, and that if Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok became a trio, that they should make an album with SMC.

Coincidentally, the six of them had spoken about it before. They were making some plans behind the scenes.

TATTOO performed a cover of one of their favourite songs, as well as a couple of their title tracks. Their fanbase had already grown immensely, and it continued to grow as people took note of their synchronisation, their power, their talent and their chemistry as a trio.

Nayeon and Jihyo sang a few songs each as soloists, and then came together to perform the two songs they had collaborated on. Everyone loved seeing the two of them sing together, and fans hoped that they would do it more often in the future.

Hoseok performed a couple of his own songs, then sang a cover with Namjoon and Yoongi, which only strengthened the want for the three of them to be a trio. At the end of their stage, they hinted at the fact that, in 2019, they  _ were  _ going to be a trio, and it made everyone online go crazy.

Seungwan and Joohyun stepped out on stage and made their presence known with a teaser to a song they would be releasing in the new year, something surprising to everyone in the arena. They were dearly missed, and people enjoyed their performance a lot.

Many other artists and groups performed that night, and everyone had the time of their lives.

It was MiMo’s turn.

Backstage, they held one another’s hands, squeezing them gently. They smiled at each other, giving the other person a much needed confidence boost.

“Let’s do this, babe,” Momo nodded once at Mina, and Mina sighed before they hugged one another. Holding each other’s hand, they began their journey to the back of the stage where they would be making their grand entrance.

The crowd erupted as the intro to their first title track began. They let go of each other’s hand and walked onto the stage. Immediately, they began dancing, pyrotechnics going off everywhere, coupled with strobe lighting. They were perfectly in sync, moving to the beat and rhythm of music so precisely that it impressed everyone.

Flawlessly they danced and sang through all three of their title tracks, one after the other, and the crowd was cheering the entire time. The fanchants were louder than they could have ever imagined them to be, and seeing people in the audience holding both of their lightsticks reminded them.

They had something to announce at the end of it all.

Towards the end of singing their third title track, they stared at one another and held out their free hands for the other to take. They interlocked fingers and both felt tears well up in their eyes. This moment meant so much to them.

Mina stroked Momo's thumb with her own and Momo let her first tear fall as they closed the space between them. Mina's high note filled the arena beautifully, then the music stopped.

The duo began to sing the final chorus against no backing track. It was just their vocals. The audience stopped cheering so they could listen to their vocals more clearly, to the point that there weren't even any fanchants.

Simply their voices.

When they harmonised, it took over the entire arena. It was such a visceral experience for everyone in the room. All that could be seen aside from MiMo were the lyrics to the song appearing on a huge screen behind them. The spotlight was truly on them.

They sang the last note of the song, and the place went quiet for a mere millisecond, before the audience applauded and cheered as loud as they could, revelling in the emotion of the performance as Mina and Momo hugged.

It had been a tough start to the year. None of them thought they would make it to the end without one of them or both of them leaving the duo.

In that short moment, they were proud of themselves for climbing over that first hill, despite the fact that they weren't expecting what was going to be waiting for them.

Those who had followed their story, their feud, and how they managed to overcome it, looked upon them in awe. Mina and Momo pulled away and stared intently into the other's eyes.

Each of them had learned a lesson. And a valuable one at that.

They couldn't help but think about the possibilities of they had just gotten over their feud sooner, but they quickly pushed that away. Finally, they had been given an opportunity. A chance. It fell into their laps and they hated it to begin with, but gradually realised why it was so important.

And for all that it's worth, they were thankful for that opportunity.

Turning to the crowd, they walked to the front of the stage and caught everybody's attention.

"Hi everyone! I'm Mina."

"I'm Momo.

"And we're MiMo!"

The crowd cheered even louder for them, while simultaneously not knowing what was going on. Much like those online who had been watching and were suddenly confused as to why the show had seemingly ground to a halt.

"There's something we need to tell you. An announcement we need to make," Momo began, before turning to Mina for her to take the reins.

"It's been...a crazy year. An up-and-down year. It was stressful in the beginning, but in a matter of months, everything got so much better." Mina looked at Momo briefly before addressing the audience again. "Over the course of the year, we went from being public enemies, to people who could tolerate one another, to now being incredibly close." Mina felt bad that she had to say that. She and Momo both hoped deep down they would understand. "Which means…" She turned to Momo.

"We have decided...to become a permanent duo in 2019!"

In response, applause could be heard, along with chanting, screaming and shouting. MiMo could tell that everyone was thrilled to hear the news, and they smiled from ear to ear.

A huge weight had been lifted off their chest. They had  _ finally  _ announced it to the world.

Their eyes met. Sparkled. The lights surrounding them reflected in both pairs.

It was out there now.

And just like that, it all made sense.

\--

Opening the door to her dorm, Momo entered the place, Mina on her tail. After a long day they thought they would be tired, but they were buzzing with energy.

Momo shut the door and the couple kicked off their shoes before standing opposite one another.

“It’s been a crazy day,” the brunette stated, and the dark-haired woman nodded in agreement. Stepping closer to Momo, Mina whispered, “I love you,” before wrapping her arms around the older woman’s neck.

“I love you too,” Momo said in response. She put her arms around Mina’s waist, pulling her close before their lips connected in a soft and slow kiss. Tilting her head to the side, Mina deepened the kiss ever so slightly, Momo instantly reciprocating.

Much like their dancing, their thoughts were in sync.

Mina pulled away and began to ask, “Do you want to do this?”

“Yes,” Momo immediately said, drawing back to take Mina’s hand and pull her in the direction of their room.

They closed the door behind them and Momo instantly turned around to press Mina up against it, their lips locking in seconds. Mina took Momo’s hands and interlocked their fingers. Momo lifted Mina’s arms and placed her hands above her head, their bodies just centimetres apart. Gradually, Momo kissed Mina’s jaw, and worked her way down to Mina’s neck, a tiny moan escaping the brunette’s lips. She lightly sucked on the skin before drawing back and capturing Mina’s lips again, and Mina bit Momo’s bottom lip before pushing her backwards towards the edge of the bed.

Momo sat down and Mina removed her shirt, throwing it to the ground beside her. Momo began planting kisses on Mina’s skin as Mina ran her hands through Momo’s hair. She felt Momo’s lips against the waistband of her jeans and her body almost melted.

Momo pulled away only briefly to remove her own shirt and throw it on the floor. Mina then gently pushed Momo back until she was lying on the bed, before finding her lips once more. She knelt on the bed, her knees either side of Momo’s hips, and Momo wrapped her arms around Mina’s neck, her hips bucking up at the feeling of the brunette’s hand running down the centre of her body.

Their lips parted as Mina traced her finger along the edge of Momo’s leggings. She ran her fingers down Momo’s left thigh then back up her right, and Momo ran her hands down Mina’s body as their eyes found one another.

“Please,” Momo blurted out.

“Please, what?” Mina wondered, pressing a light, feathery kiss to Momo’s forehead. Her voice was low, soft, and Momo was about to go insane.

“Touch me,” Momo whispered, and Mina giggled. Hearing  _ that  _ was enough to make Momo reach up and kiss Mina again.

Slowly, Mina’s hand grazed over the skin above Momo’s leggings again, and she bit her bottom lip before her hand travelled below. Momo’s back arched, and she let out the most graceful moan. It reached Mina’s ears and made her heart beat so much faster. Momo entangled her fingers in Mina’s hair and they knocked foreheads. Mina started off slow, going at an unhurried pace. Every few seconds, she picked up speed just that little bit more, and it made Momo want. As their lips connected again Mina could feel that want in the hunger behind the kiss. Mina wanted to give.

She gave, and gave so much as her pace increased.

“You look so beautiful,” she muttered against Momo’s ear, and Momo thought her heart was going to explode out of her chest. She clutched onto Mina’s arm as she went faster. Mina pressed kisses everywhere she could: lips, cheeks, forehead and jaw. She dipped down to Momo’s neck and continued kissing there until a small mark was formed, eliciting small yet powerful and almost breathless moans.

That coupled with the speed in which Mina was going at that point was enough to tip Momo over the edge.

When she released, she could nearly see stars. She gazed up at Mina who smiled, taking her hand out before planting more kisses against Momo’s chest. Pushing herself up, Mina sat on her knees as Momo’s chest rose and fell. She then sat up and crawled over to Mina, closing the distance between them as they changed positions.

Mina laid down and waited for Momo to appear in her view. When they caught one another’s eyes, Mina tugged at her bottom lip, “I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“I think you mean  _ I  _ am,” Momo teased, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Agree to disagree, now come here, you,” Mina replied, pulling Momo down for another kiss that the older woman gladly returned. Momo ran her hand over Mina’s chest before resting it on the brunette’s waist, her thumb delicately stroking the skin there. As they pulled away, Mina bit the corner of her lips. “Um…”

“What’s up?” Momo wondered, the mildest bit worried. Mina could see this new emotion in her eyes and quickly dissolved it by reassuring her nothing was wrong.

“If you want to do it… I um…” She pointed downwards, and Momo followed her eyes before feeling Mina run her forefinger along her bottom lip. This action made it click in Momo’s mind and a blush formed on her cheeks. Mina went completely red in the face and began to chuckle, her huge smile making Momo’s heart feel that much fuller.

“Say no more, my love,” Momo uttered, before kissing Mina again. Suddenly, Mina began to feel her heart pound as Momo’s lips went lower, and even lower still. She exhaled as Momo reached the waistband of her jeans.

“Are you sure?” Momo asked, glancing up at the brunette through her lashes.

Mina looked down and nodded confidently, “Yes.”

Momo clicked her tongue before pressing kisses to Mina’s inner thigh. Resting her head back on the pillow, Mina relaxed as Momo slowly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down, throwing them to the side. Momo went back to kissing Mina’s thigh, and Mina hips moved upwards at the touch, slowly growing impatient.

Grazing her fingers down the side of Mina’s body until she reached her underwear, Momo slowly slid them down her legs before putting them aside. She kissed the space just below the navel and went lower, and Mina’s toes curled slightly at the feeling. Carefully, Momo worked her way down until her lips came in contact with the place Mina needed them the most.

“Jesus…” Mina whispered, back arching off the bed. “Oh my…” Her voice was faint, words trailing off into the space above her as she sucked in a breath. Momo was paying close attention to Mina’s reactions, glancing off to the side to see her grip at the sheets with one hand as she ran her other hand through her hair, fingers carding through and gently holding it in place. Mina bit down on her bottom lip as Momo went deeper, picking up the pace ever so slightly as their hands found one another. With one push, Mina lifted herself up a little to see Momo, and their eyes met briefly, a smirk playing on the older woman’s lips as Mina fell back down onto the bed again.

They entangled their fingers, soft hums sending vibrations through Mina’s body. A long drawn out moan escaped the brunette’s lips as she gripped onto Momo’s hair gently. Momo let go of Mina’s hand so she could run her own hands up the inside of her thighs, stopping at the knees.

“Fu… Momo…” Mina breathed out. Momo brought one hand up to join her lips in bringing Mina to where she needed to be, and with another moan, Mina came undone.

“Oh my God,” the brunette sighed, a whimper accompanying it as Momo pulled away. Crawling towards Mina, Momo smashed their lips together, Mina instantly returning, her hands clutching onto Momo’s waist. “God, I love you,” Mina whispered against Momo’s lips.

“I love you too,” Momo replied, and they kissed once more, letting their minds cloud over with nothing but one another, the feeling of their soft yet swollen lips entrancing the two of them even still.

It was late at night, and while they both knew they  _ should  _ properly get ready for bed, they were content to lie there and fall asleep, just like that.

Momo heard Mina’s heart beating through her chest, and a warm smile appeared on her face. Mina pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Merry Christmas, Mina,” Momo muttered.

Mina grinned, “Merry Christmas, Momo.”

Their eyes fluttered in shut mere seconds. Sleep overtook them in mere minutes.

The most wonderful end to an amazing day.

\--

The following morning, Mina woke up first.

During the night, the couple had woken up and noticed that they hadn’t gotten ready for bed. They did so within ten minutes so they could crawl back into bed and sleep again, the both of them being very clearly tired.

Momo moved around in her sleep, her arm extending and feeling an empty space beside her. Her eyes opened slowly and instantly, she could smell cooking. A lazy smile worked its way onto her face as she turned to lie on her front, still a little fatigued.

In the kitchen, Mina got to work making pancakes, mixing the ingredients in a bowl and humming along to a random tune in her head. Quickly, she tiptoed towards the bedroom and ducked her head in, seeing Momo sprawled across the bed. She chuckled inwardly before turning to head back to the stove.

Momo’s eyes opened once again, and she decided with a yawn that she should get up. She then remembered that due to their hectic schedule the day before, they still had Christmas presents to open. That made her almost jump out of bed and bound into the kitchen to surprise Mina with a back hug and a kiss to the cheek.

Startled, Mina almost dropped the spatula she was holding. Momo pulled an awkward face and apologised immediately, the brunette chuckling shortly after. She placed the spatula down on the kitchen counter and turned in Momo’s embrace, “You’re lucky I wasn’t in the middle of pouring batter into the pan or otherwise we would’ve had a disaster.”

Momo rested her forehead on Mina’s shoulder then lifted her head again, “Sorry, babe, I just suddenly remembered that we had presents to open because we couldn’t open them yesterday so...I got a little excited.”

Cupping Momo’s cheeks, Mina giggled at how cute she was being. “Well let me start cooking these pancakes so we can get to doing that a lot faster.” Momo nodded once before they shared a brief, gentle kiss; she then pulled away quite reluctantly (she could’ve stayed there all day) and moved over to where the plates and cutlery were kept. She set the table while Mina poured some batter in the pan to make the first pancake. Momo went to get the sugar out of the cupboard when Mina stopped her, “Oh! We’re not putting sugar on these pancakes.”

“What?” Momo asked, surprised. “You can’t have pancakes without a sprinkling of sugar!” She almost sounded hurt at the sheer idea of having a pancake without just a little dusting of sugar on top. Mina smiled a little as she reached into the same cupboard Momo had just opened. She found what she was looking for and took it out, dropping it into Momo’s hand. Momo caught it with ease and stared at it. It was a small plastic jar and once Momo saw what it was, the corners of her lips turned upwards. “Edible glitter, huh?”

“Not just  _ any  _ edible glitter!” Mina was quick to correct her.

Momo looked down at the jar again, “Red and green edible glitter. I see.” She couldn’t help but chuckle as Mina wore the proudest smile on her face. Appearing beside her, Momo pressed a kiss to Mina’s left cheek and giggled, “You’re adorable.”

“All in the name of Christmas!”

Turning on the spot, Momo placed the jar down in the centre of the table as Mina flipped the first pancake. It was a short while after that they had a stack of six small pancakes each, and of course, the red and green edible glitter was sprinkled on top.

“That actually makes it look so much cooler than sugar,” Momo complimented. “Maybe we should just have our pancakes with edible glitter all the time from now on.”

Mina began eating and hummed, nodding in agreement. Momo joined and they sat, talking about random things, making light conversation, until they were both finished with their meals. They washed and dried their dishes before Momo made them both a cup of coffee each.

Sitting down on the sofa, their Christmas tree a few metres away from them in the corner of the living room, they continued to chat and drink their coffees, excitement slowly building up at finally being able to open their presents.

“I wonder what we got from everyone,” Mina wondered.

“Shall we start opening them now?” Momo proposed, and Mina nodded. The two of them put their mugs down and moved to sit in front of the Christmas tree.

Quickly, they noticed how a few presents were to both of them; deciding to open those last, they made a start on their own gifts.

For Mina, there was a pair of earphones from Namjoon, a portable speaker from Yoongi, the new video game she had been asking about from Hoseok, a lavender scented candle from Seungwan and Joohyun, a shower gift set from Jeongyeon, a new eyeshadow palette from Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu.

For Momo, there was a slightly different pair of earphones from Namjoon, a small lava lamp from Yoongi, the most recent album by her favourite artist from Hoseok, a jasmine scented candle from Seungwan and Joohyun, a similar shower set from Jeongyeon, and the new perfume she had wanted from Taehyung and Jin.

Mina received money from Taehyung and Jin, the couple noting they were unsure of what to get her. From Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, Momo received an eyeshadow palette as well, one that was different from Mina’s. They opened cards from their parents, other relatives and friends outside of the industry. Putting their gifts aside, they moved onto the presents addressed to both of them.

The first gift came from Jaebeom, Seulgi and Yugyeom.

_ Dear Mina and Momo, _

_ Merry Christmas! We hope you like this small gift from the three of us. Have an amazing day! _

_ TATTOO (Jaebeom, Seulgi and Yugyeom)  _ _ ♥ _

They could tell it was a bottle of something; ripping apart the wrapping, they quickly saw it was a bottle of red wine and both said  _ ooh  _ in unison.  _ Château Siran 2012.  _ Mina and Momo decided they would try it with dinner later.

Putting it to the side, they moved onto the next present. Looking at the tag, they saw it was from Eunbyul and Jiseok. Taking the tissue paper out of the bag, they saw a cardboard box; Mina took it out and chuckled upon seeing it.

“What is it?” Momo asked, and Mina showed her. “Oh wow! I’ve always wanted one of those!”

A smoothie maker. Momo had always thought about getting one, but didn’t think she would have enough space in her kitchen. It wasn’t a big kitchen, and she already had a few appliances taking up the space. Mina wondered if that was the reason she had never purchased one, and Momo confirmed.

“Well we can keep it in my kitchen,” Mina smiled. “I’ve got some space.” Momo grinned and nodded as Mina set the smoothie maker aside.

The next present was from Nayeon and Jihyo. It was a big square-shaped gift, and it was quite thin. They pondered over what it could be before Mina removed the card and opened it.

_ Dear Mina and Momo, _

_ It’s been quite the year. So much has happened and so much has gone on that has affected the two of you individually, as a duo and as a couple. You both have worked so hard this year, that we wanted to put this together to show you how proud we are of you, and how proud you should be of yourselves. If you saw the other present from us, that goes along with this one. Here’s a clue: the sound will be amazing. _

_ Merry Christmas, MiMo. _

_ Love, _

_ Nayeon and Jihyo _

_ ♥ _

Mina and Momo exchanged glances. Momo reached forward and grabbed the second present as Mina started opening the present. Once she caught a glimpse, she gasped.

“What’s up?” Momo asked, returning to Mina’s side with the second present. Mina tore off the rest of the wrapping paper to reveal, encased in cellophane, three vinyls. The brunette removed the cellophane as Mina opened the second present: a record player.

“Wait, these are…” Mina began to say, absolutely floored. “These are  _ our  _ albums!”

Momo nudged Mina and showed her the record player, then registered Mina’s words as she looked at the vinyls.

Sure enough, they were the couple’s three mini albums in vinyl form.

“Holy shit…” Momo muttered under her breath, carefully taking the vinyls from Mina to look at them closely. Mina pulled the box containing the record player towards her and could feel tears well up in her eyes. Momo wasn’t too far behind.

“I can’t believe they did this… God, they kept  _ this  _ a secret!” Mina stated, shocked. Momo nodded vigorously, taking in the fact that Nayeon and Jihyo had put this together for them.

Resting the vinyls on the box for the record player, they stared at one another and let their first tears fall.

“That’s so sweet of them,” Momo mumbled, and Mina chuckled as she wiped away her tears.

“I’m still just… Wow!” Mina almost stuttered, trying to express her gratitude.

They took a few moments to process it, then turned to the last present. It was an envelope.

Momo picked it up and opened it carefully, pulling out the card. They already knew who this was from.

Once Momo opened the card, something fell out of it and onto her lap. Her eyes briefly darted down to see it in her lap before Mina took it. Momo looked back up at the card and read it aloud.

_ Mina and Momo, _

_ I originally had no idea what to get the two of you, but then a lightbulb went off in my head. The year’s been stressful yes, but you pushed through, you grew to tolerate one another and hey, you even got together! Which got me thinking. You two need a break. It’s okay, I’ve talked to your managers and your bosses about it. Enjoy your trip, and have fun! _

_ Merry Christmas, you two. _

_ Love you lots! _

_ Sana _

_ ♥♥ _

Mina heard the message and opened the small envelope to reveal two plane tickets.

“Wait...Momo!” Mina suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. Momo looked at the two plane tickets and her jaw dropped.

“We’re...what?” She took the tickets out of Mina’s hand as the brunette got up and started dancing around the place. “A fourteen-day tour around Europe?”

Mina squealed and Momo got up to join her, hugging her tightly.

“Two whole weeks in Europe!” Mina cried, elated.

“Oh my God! When do we go?” Momo asked, looking down at the tickets.

“We fly out to London on the 5th May!” Mina replied, and they hugged one another again. Then it hit them. Sana did this for them. “Holy fuck,” Momo said, pulling away to stare at the tickets once again, still unsure if they were even  _ real.  _ “This is actually happening. You and me. Romantic trip to Europe. Fourteen days.”

“I know! Isn’t that crazy?” Mina clasped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe Sana did this…”

“I know!”

They were both at a loss for words. Sitting down on the sofa, they smiled widely as they looked down at the plane tickets. It felt surreal.

It all felt so surreal. Mina kissed Momo’s cheek. “I can’t think of a better way to spend two weeks in Europe.” Momo blushed and eyed Mina. They kissed again.

They still had their presents to one another.

Placing the tickets on top of the vinyls, Momo moved to collect the two gift bags that sat underneath the tree. She set them both down on the coffee table in front of them. Looking at Mina, she encouraged her to go first.

“You got first!” Mina responded.

“Nope! You first,” Momo insisted, before Mina pouted and scooted closer to the gift bag. Taking out the card first, she opened it and read the message.

_ Mina, _

_ None of us could’ve predicted we’d ever end up here. I know we mention it a lot, talk about it a lot, think about it a lot, but I genuinely can’t help but ponder the fact that we are where we are today. You’ve always inspired me. You’ve always been someone I look up to. I can’t understand why I was so stuck in my ways to never approach you and tell you all of these things sooner. I wish I had. My God do I wish I had. Because now that I know you wanted to say similar things to me too, it breaks my heart to know we didn’t get to where we are today at an earlier time. But the important thing is, we’re here together now. And the fact that I can now hold your hand all the time, kiss you, hug you, tell you how much you mean to me, how talented you are, how beautiful you are, how funny, how witty, how self-assured, considerate, caring you are - among many others things I can’t possibly list because I’ll be here all day - fills me up with so much joy. You’re my light, Myoui Mina. I can’t wait to spend many more years with you, and then many more years after that. Merry Christmas, Mina. _

_ All my love, _

_ Momo _

_ ♥ _

More tears pricked at the corners of Mina’s eyes as she turned to kiss Momo. A quiet  _ I love you  _ escaped her lips as she put the card on the table. They shared a hug, and Momo repeated the phrase in Mina’s ear. Turning back to the gift bag, Mina took out some tissue paper before looking inside and seeing two things.

The first thing was a framed picture of the two of them in the practice room. Their favourite picture. Mina stared at it in awe, the silver framing accompanied by tiny glitters that reflected in the light. In the top right corner of the frame were the words  _ You and Me. _

Another kiss was pressed to Momo’s lips before Mina took out the second gift. It was a red, rectangular box that Mina looked at for a little bit before opening it to reveal a silver bracelet.

There was a single charm in the centre: a heart-shaped lock. Mina covered her face with her hands to hide her tears as Momo took the bracelet out. “Oh my gosh,” Mina said, desperately trying to wipe said tears away.

“Come here,” Momo said softly, gently taking Mina’s right hand and resting it on her thigh. Momo put the bracelet on, and Mina admired it, particularly the charm in the centre.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you so much. And thank you so much for this,” Mina said, indicating the frame that was now standing up on the coffee table. The box for the bracelet joined it as Momo said  _ you’re welcome.  _ She then reached into her gift bag and took out the card from Mina.

_ Momo, _

_ A year ago feels like a lifetime ago, and I couldn’t have imagined a year ago I would be writing something like this to you. I want to say thank you, and that I’m sorry. I feel like there is so much I could say, and yet I don’t know how to say it all. For the longest time we didn’t look at each other once, and all those times I wish we did. We were so clouded by everything else we failed to see something so painfully obvious. There were so many times where we should have started trying to see eye to eye, and I’m so happy that in becoming a duo, we were able to do that and not only work out our differences, but finally realise what was there all along. The moment you kissed me it was like everything made sense. Being with you is the most amazing experience, and the fact that I get to continue working alongside you makes me the happiest woman in the world. You are the most hard-working, the most determined, kind, generous, gorgeous and most talented woman I’ve ever met. You mean everything to me, Hirai Momo, and I want to spend the rest of my life telling you that. Merry Christmas, Momo. _

_ All my love, _

_ Mina _

_ ♥ _

Mina wiped away the tears on Momo’s cheeks as she finished reading. Turning her head, Momo met her lips and smiled into the kiss. They held so much affection for one another it almost hurt.

“I love you, Mina,” Momo muttered, and Mina said it back.

Placing her card beside Mina’s, Momo glanced into the bag and took out the tissue paper, also spying two things. The first gift she took out was a mini scrapbook, and Momo began flicking through it, giggling every so often at some of the funny pictures she came across of the two of them. Momo pressed a kiss to Mina’s temple, thanking her once she reached the end. She knew she would cherish it forever.

The second gift was a small blue jewellery box that Momo held in her hands for a while. When she opened it, she said, “Aw!” Taking it out she held it up to the light and saw two gold M’s with tiny rhinestones on them. Delicately, she held the keyring in her hand as she kissed Mina once again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my love,” Mina replied, and they kissed once more.

They knew they would be spending many more Christmases together.

\--

New Year’s Eve finally rolled around. Everyone from Mina, Momo and Jihyo’s company were invited to a big party taking place in the largest studio in the latter’s company building. Mina and Momo also invited Sana, who happily accepted and arrived sometime after the couple did with a bottle of vodka in hand.

Most people were dancing, some people were milling around by the buffet table, some were making themselves drinks and chatting away about the past year.

On the dancefloor, Mina and Momo danced with all of their friends and everyone they had gotten to know over the last year. They interlocked fingers and continue to move to the rhythm of the music, watching everyone around them every so often.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu were in a small circle. Mina and Momo couldn’t believe that in four months time, they would be having their second anniversary of being a group. The trio laughed and danced together, having the time of their lives. The couple felt so happy seeing them.

To the right of SMC, Taehyung and Jin were dancing; Taehyung had celebrated his birthday the day before, and Mina and Momo could see he was wearing his new outfit that Jin had got for him. They had been together a year and a half when Jin proposed, and were planning on getting married the following year in the spring. Mina and Momo wished them a long, happy marriage.

Some distance away were Jaebeom, Seulgi and Yugyeom. The three of them had already been together for a couple of months. They had not long ago celebrated their one year anniversary of being a trio, having debuted a few days after Yugyeom’s 20th birthday. Mina and Momo always thought that they looked adorable together, and when they saw them share a warm hug it made a smile appear on their faces.

A slow song started playing and Mina and Momo turned their attention to Nayeon and Jihyo. A part of them still couldn’t believe that they had managed to keep their relationship a secret.  _ ‘How adorable,’  _ they both thought, watching Nayeon twirl Jihyo under her arm and bring her close again.

Their eyes then found Eunbyul and Jiseok, who were swaying left and right, Eunbyul’s hands wrapped around Jiseok’s neck and clasped together. Jiseok held Eunbyul close and planted a kiss on her forehead. Mina and Momo knew they once had such a big crush on one another. They were glad the two of them had confessed their feelings.

Seungwan and Joohyun were dancing close together, kissing each other’s cheek every so often and smiling after each one. They briefly met Mina and Momo’s gaze and grinned at them before refocusing their attention on one another. Gratitude filled Mina and Momo’s hearts knowing that the four of them had become friends.

Away from the dancefloor, Namjoon, Hoseok, Yoongi and Jeongyeon were hanging around the buffet table, drinking beers and talking among themselves. Hoseok rested his head on Namjoon’s shoulder, and Jeongyeon laughed loudly at a joke Yoongi was telling, which was shortly followed by Namjoon and Hoseok chuckling along.

The last person the couple saw was their best friend, Sana. Sana was dancing alone, until SMC called her over and the four of them began dancing together. Mina and Momo regarded Sana with the same, somewhat unreadable expression in their eyes. Sana was honest, sometimes too bluntly honest, but they thanked her for that. Despite being Momo’s ex, there were no bad feelings between them, at least, not now. Momo was beyond relieved that the two of them had been able to find common ground and become friends once again. Things were awkward for a while, but they cared about each other so much, and Sana wanted things to work out between Momo and Mina. Mina and Sana had been good friends for a while, and the brunette often turned to Sana for advice. She knew she could trust Sana, and Sana knew that Mina would have her back no matter what.

They had almost become a trio themselves.

Suddenly, Mina took Momo’s hand and gently pulled the older woman to face her, “Hey.”

“Yes, my love?” Momo asked, running her thumb over Mina’s knuckles.

“I love you,” said Mina.

“I love you too.”

They smiled at one another before hearing a voice shout that it was nearly time for the countdown. Before they could comprehend what was going on, they were being pulled away from the dancefloor by the members of SMC and towards the exit. Everyone stood outside the company building in a giant huddle, quickly taking note of how cold it was.

“Are we ready, everyone?” shouted a voice, which was soon revealed to be Minchul’s voice.

There was a chorus of  _ yes  _ from the crowd as the countdown began.

_ 10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! _

_ Happy New Year! _

Immediately, everyone turned to one another and hugged each other tightly, some of them pressing sneaky, chaste kisses to one another’s cheeks. There were whispers of  _ I love you, thank you,  _ and  _ happy new year  _ as they all tried to hug as many people as they could.

A few minutes passed and Mina and Momo were some distance away from the crowd.

“Happy New Year, babe,” Mina whispered to her.

“Happy New Year, Mina. Here’s to 2019.” Momo found they both didn’t have drinks they could make a toast with, so she took Mina’s hand and entangled their fingers. They both giggled and knocked foreheads, before their laughter died down at the close proximity of their lips.

There was no one around. No cameras. Nobody to interrupt this moment. Momo tilted her head to the side and captured Mina’s lips in a kiss, before letting go of her hand and cupping her cheek. Mina’s hand fell onto Momo’s waist and they continued kissing for a while, before parting ways slowly.

Hirai Momo and Myoui Mina.

The two biggest solo singers in the Korean music industry...had become a duo.

There  _ used  _ to be only one issue.

That wasn’t an issue anymore.


	25. Epilogue

“I hope you know exactly what you’re doing, Momo,” said Mina, wrapping the towel around her shoulders. She didn’t know who was braver: Momo for suggesting they dye each other’s hair in the first place, or Mina for actually agreeing to it.

“Yep! I’ve got this all under control. I’ve watched my stylists do this a bunch of times, I know _exactly_ what I’m doing.” Momo sounded confident. Mina bit the inside of her bottom lip. She had never dyed her hair herself before, so afraid of ruining her hair that she just ended up leaving the job to the professionals. Mina had only had her hair dyed twice in her career: once when she debuted and they dyed it a deep red, and then once about a year later when they dyed it a super dark brown. Since then, she just let the colour fade until she ended up with brunette.

Momo’s hair had been dyed three times: the first time was for her debut and it was light brown, the second time was just over a year later and they added a hint of pink to her hair, and then she had it dyed jet black a few months later. Like Mina, she let the jet black fade until it became dark brown.

One of their New Year’s resolutions was to try something new together.

So, four days into 2019, Momo proposed that they dye one another’s hair _blonde._

It was on the fifth day that they went out and purchased hair dye, bleach and all the other things they needed to do this properly.

Again, they would typically leave it up to the professionals. But Momo was feeling a little brave. Or overambitious, she wasn’t sure yet.

In the bathroom, Momo gathered the supplies together on the counter. Mina stood in front of the mirror and took a deep breath in. This was the first time either of them would be dyeing their hair blonde. Mina eyed the two boxes of hair dye on the counter and saw that they were almost platinum blonde. _‘Well, this should be fun,’_ she thought.

“Right, the first thing I need to do is strip your hair of any colour,” explained Momo. Mina knew this process well, as did Momo. The older woman put on a pair of gloves and stood behind Mina. She reached for the hair colour remover and got to work taking what was left of the hair dye out of Mina’s hair. Her hair ended up being a little bit lighter at the end of it and Mina stared at it in the mirror briefly.

Then, she saw Momo prepare the bleach and suddenly became just the tiniest bit nervous.

She wasn’t exactly sure what she was nervous about. Dyeing her hair blonde? The fact that Momo was going to do it all by herself? Seeing what it would look like at the end of it all?

Exhaling, Mina decided it was probably all three.

“You ready?” Momo asked, standing behind the younger woman. Mina allowed herself a few seconds to contemplate it before nodding. At that, Momo began clipping Mina’s hair into sections so she could start applying the bleach. Mina had forgotten what bleach felt like on her scalp, and she winced almost instantly as Momo started brushing it through.

It took a few minutes for Momo to put the bleach on Mina’s hair, and was told to leave it on for forty-five minutes, most of which was spent sitting in the bathroom wondering just _what_ they were doing.

Forty-five minutes later, Momo helped Mina wash the bleach out of her hair. It was time to tone it, and Momo found she _very_ nearly got the ratios wrong until she checked to find that it was all okay.

“God, that scared me for a second!” she said, hand placed on her chest. Mina breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, shall I?” There was a smile on Momo’s face, clearly showing her excitement, and Mina nodded a few times to let her know she was.

The process took a short while, Momo making sure she covered absolutely every strand of hair with toner. Mina’s hair was quite long, so Momo checked every few seconds to see if she had missed any spots. When she was confident that she had completely covered Mina’s hair in toner, they waited an extra forty minutes. Mina didn’t look in the mirror, not wanting to see any part of her hair until it was all done.

When it came time to wash the toner out, Mina was growing more and more eager to see what her hair looked like now, while also feeling just a little bit terrified. What if it looked awful? What if Mina didn’t like it? Regret was starting to build up.

As Momo washed Mina’s hair, her jaw dropped, “Oh my God.”

“What?” Mina started to see red.

“Holy shit...you look incredible.”

The tension in Mina’s shoulders started to ease, “Wait...really?”

“Yes! You suit blonde so much!”

Mina felt her cheeks heating up. Momo washed out the shampoo, then used conditioner, before rinsing that out as well. Turning off the shower, Momo grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Mina’s hair.

Mina helped her out as she lifted her head, the weight of the towel heavy. She decided to keep the towel on her head as she prepared herself to dye Momo’s hair in return. The older woman clapped her hands together in anticipation. Seeing how good Mina looked with blonde hair only made her _more_ keen to dye it.

Just like before, Mina stripped the colour out of Momo’s hair, turning it a lighter brown. Once the hair was dry, she moved onto putting the bleach on in the exact same way, having watched Momo closely. A broad smile was on Momo’s face the entire time as she watched it all unfold.

Another forty-five minutes passed as Momo attempted to get Mina to give herself just the _smallest_ glimpse of what her hair looked like. Mina was adamant that she wouldn’t look at her hair until both she and Momo had both dyed their hair, which in the end, Momo decided was fair.

Mina washed the bleach out and dried Momo’s hair; already she was taken aback. Without wasting any more time, she moved onto mixing up the toner solution before starting to apply it to Momo’s hair. Following Mina’s example, Momo turned away from the mirror so she didn’t see a single thing.

A little while later, Mina washed the toner out, conditioned Momo’s hair and wrapped it up in a towel. They stood opposite one another and exhaled almost simultaneously.

“Shall we do this?” Momo asked, and Mina nodded before they stepped into their bedroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, they began drying their hair with their towels.

“Okay, three, two, one!” Mina counted down, and once she reached _one,_ they both lifted their heads at the same time. “Oh my God!” Mina covered her face with her hands. Momo couldn’t hide the shock on her face as she ran a hand through her hair.

“This is insane!” stated Momo, and Mina nodded vehemently in agreement. “We look awesome!”

“Whoa…” Mina stepped closer to the mirror, touching her hair over and over again to make sure it was real. She pivoted on the spot to face Momo, who beamed at her. “Wow, you look stunning!”

 _“You_ look stunning, hello?” Momo stepped closer to her and took her hands. They both chuckled before taking it in turns to blow dry their hair. Once their hair was completely dry, they stared at the mirror once again.

“Wow, this is...I have no words,” Mina said, biting the inside of her bottom lip.

“I think we should take a bunch of pictures, upload a couple to Twitter and see what the reactions are.”

Nodding once, Mina moved to grab their phones, giving Momo hers, before they lied across the bed lazily. After taking a few pictures, they sat on the edge of the bed together and looked through them, deciding which ones to upload.

Once they did, there were comments instantly with people telling them how beautiful they both looked with blonde hair.

They saw some of the comments and smiled at one another. Then, Mina frowned.

“Keeping a relationship secret is tough,” she confessed, and Momo placed her hand on Mina’s thigh.

“I know.” There was a pause as Momo collected her thoughts. “Maybe there’ll come a day when we can tell them.”

Mina glanced up at Momo and saw an emotion in her eyes she couldn’t quite place. A tiny smile appeared. They took one another’s hand and looked at the mirror in front of them, Mina resting her head on Momo’s shoulder.

The tiny smile became a bigger smile.

“Maybe,” said Mina.

Another tiny pause. Momo smiled softly.

“Hopefully,” said Momo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story!
> 
> Bean 💙

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


End file.
